Did you know that the eSports World Cup took place all summer in Saudi Arabia? This gigantic video game competition, which ends on August 24, brought together more than 1,500 players who competed in more than 20 games, such as League of Legends. But holding the Cup in this Middle Eastern kingdom raises some questions. We explain why!
This is the first time that Saudi Arabia is hosting this event, the largest ever created in the world of video games. At the head of this country is a 38-year-old crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. MBS (as he is often called) is himself a video game enthusiast. Organizing the Cup in Riyadh, the country’s capital, cost a fortune. The prince would like to make his country a champion of video games. According to experts, this would be a way to restore its image on the international scene. Why?
“Game over” for human rights
Unfortunately, Saudi Arabia does not respect all human rights. The country is considered one of the worst for women, who have very little freedom. Criticizing the government is harshly punished and the death penalty is still applied. Some minorities, such as the LGBTQ+ community, are also repressed.
Faced with criticism from other countries, Saudi Arabia is trying the strategy of “sportswashing”. This consists of using sport to project a positive, more coolin the world. For example, Saudi Arabia has spent a lot of money to acquire huge soccer players: more than 500 million dollars for Cristiano Ronaldo, more than 300 million for Neymar… The arrival of such famous players in Saudi Arabia makes us forget a little what is wrong in the country.
It’s a bit of the same idea with the eSports World Cup. However, some video game pros have refused to participate in the competition due to the lack of respect for human rights in that country.
This is not the first time that the organization of a sporting event in a country has been called into question. One can think of the 2018 soccer World Cup in Russia or the 2008 Olympic Games in China.
By the Aces Team
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