Sky News
@skynews·9.3M subscribers·76.1K videos
Is this the end for Saudi Arabia's "sportswashing"? | This Is Why
Posted
April 16, 2026
Views
12,482
Likes
112
Comments
18
Engagement
1.04%
April 16, 2026
12,482
112
18
1.04%
Every word spoken in this episode is indexed. Type any phrase to jump straight to the moment it was said.
Type any word or phrase that may have been spoken. Click a result to seek the player to that exact moment.
Try a name, a topic, or a quoted line
18:14Now PlayingA multi-billion-dollar Saudi-backed golf tour is reportedly close to collapse – so could this spell an end to the Gulf state’s interest in sport?
The controversial LIV Golf Tour is just one strand of the Saudis’ sporting portfolio.
Footballing superstar Cristiano Ronaldo plays there, while the country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) also owns English Premier League team, Newcastle United.
But the PIF - which has plunged $5b into the LIV project - has a new five-year economic strategy that includes no mention of sport. Having been accused of using sport as a political tool to legitimise the Saudi regime, what led to this apparent change of strategy?
Sky News’ sports correspondent Rob Harris joins Niall to discuss what it means for the future of Saudi sport.
Have you got a question for the team? Email the show – why@sky.uk
Follow This is Why, available for free here
Follow Niall on Instagram
Follow Niall on X
SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos
Follow us on X
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on TikTok
For more content go to and download our appsApple Android
To enquire about licensing Sky News content, you can find more information here
Sentinel Indexing in Progress
Metadata and chapters are available. Claim extraction for this episode is pending.
All video content is delivered via YouTube embedded players in accordance with the YouTube Terms of Service. Sentinel provides research tools that promote discovery and accountability across political media.
