Sportblog | The Guardian — Jamal Khashoggi RSS

Jan 30, 2019

Saudi Arabia, sportswashing and golf’s daring sortie into enemy coffers | Marina Hyde

The European Tour breaks new and controversial ground in the Middle East this week, with Justin Rose among the players being paid up to $1m to compete in the Saudi InternationalIn a flawlessly manicured instance of cosmic timing, last Sunday saw Justin Rose become the sixth golfer to surpass $50m in PGA Tour earnings. With his win at the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego, the world No 1 now sits on a total of $51.02m, and counting. That, however, does not include his European Tour earnings, which currently stand at a further €27.25m. And counting. Related: European Tour makes a serious bogey in visiting Saudi Arabia | Ewan Murray Continue reading...

Oct 30, 2018

Nadal and Djokovic need to see bigger picture over Saudi exhibition match | Kevin Mitchell

The two players have at least addressed the situation but going ahead with December’s game in Jeddah given the global outrage over Jamal Khashoggi’s death is a mistakeOf the many withering put‑downs John McEnroe uttered in his playing career, a favourite remains his response to why he refused to play Björn Borg in apartheid South Africa: “I’ve got better ways to earn a million dollars.”In nine words McEnroe told the world he did not need to compromise his values or expose himself to ridicule – even for a million dollars. He was worth more than that. He was good enough to make up the slack somewhere else. He and Borg were at the height of their celebrity, having just played...