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Sports continued to drive the conversation for Saudi in the foreign press over the weekend, with whispers on Bloomberg suggesting that the PIF could be among a group of “strategic partners” brought in by the ATP Tour, the governing body of men’s professional tennis, to help expand the sport.
The PIF and other government agencies could earmark some USD 2 bn for ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, raise prize money, sponsorship funding and a new tennis event here, two sources told Bloomberg.
AND- Reuters writes that PIF is looking to invest in a new tournament that would join the nine high-profile Masters 1000 tournaments that attract top players.
BACKGROUND- The PIF signed a “multi-year strategic partnership” with ATP Tour that would see it become the official naming partner of ATP rankings and partner in ATP Tour events, including Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Beijing, and Italy’s Nitto ATP Finals. It also includes the Next Gen ATP Finals, which Jeddah will host until 2027.
IN GOLF- Player directors of the PGA Tour are reportedly preparing for a sit-down with PIF boss Yasir Al Rumayyan in the coming days for talks on the fate of the PGA Tour merger with PIF-backed LIV Golf, The Guardian reported. “We are being encouraged to potentially meet with them at some point, yeah,” former world number one Jordan Spieth, who is also one of the player directors of the PGA Tour said. His statements come amid speculation that a big investment in PGA by US sports bn’aires could have scuppered merger talks with PIF.
Also getting attention:
- Tourism: Why now is the time to visit Saudi Arabia’s futuristic capital (Euronews)
- Planet Startup:Saudi Arabia’s thriving startup scene driven by women (Deutsche Welle)
