The princess Reema binti Bandar al-Saudmember of Saudi Arabian Olympic Committeecriticized the opposition of extenistas Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert where the WTA Finals will be played starting next season on Riyadh and said they had “turned their backs” on the women who inspired them in the past.
Navratilova and Evert, winner of 18 titles grand slam each, criticized in a column on ‘Washington Post’ the WTA’s possible decision to move the Finals – the tournament that brings together the best eight tennis players of the year – to Riyadh for being “incompatible with the spirit of women’s tennis.”
“Not only in that country are women not seen as equals, it’s a country where there is a law where women belong to men. A country that has criminalized the LGBTQ community to death. “A country whose record on human rights and fundamental freedoms has been the subject of international concern for decades,” said the two tennis legends.
In a statement, Princess Reema pointed out that Navratilova and Evert had “abandoned” the very women they were inspired by and it was “not disappointing”, adding that they should be “correctly informed” about Saudi laws because their arguments are based on “outdated stereotypes” and “Western views” of their culture.
“Not recognizing the great progress that women have made in Saudi Arabia is destroying our incredible journey. a society,” he highlighted.
Although tennis players are like Tunisian Ounce Jabeur are in favor of having tournaments in Saudi Arabia, others like Russian Daria Kasatkinawho declared himself gay in 2022, criticized the WTA’s decision to move tournaments to this country, in this case for not feeling safe.
The last WTA Finals were held in Cancun (Mexico) with many organizational flaws, as the WTA did not decide on the venue until a few weeks before, which led to tennis players finding themselves in the unfinished courts, in poor conditions and with weather conditions that greatly complicated the development of a tournament that is the jewel in the crown of the women’s circuit.
Source: La Verdad
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