To enter the post-oil era, Saudi Arabia is building futuristic cities, seaside resorts along the Red Sea, gigantic amusement parks… and sports halls. At every street corner, in the major Saudi cities, new facilities – air-conditioned, of course – are appearing. “In particular, and this is the biggest novelty, sports halls reserved for women who, historically, were not allowed to practice physical activity in public, describes Simon Chadwick, professor of geopolitics and sport at Skema Business School, and a regular visitor to the kingdom. But opinion around this equipment remains very conservative and the rooms are often covered with screens, so that no one can see inside. It will take years, probably a generation, to that the view of Saudi society on the practice of sport is changing.”
This is the great paradox: Riyadh redeems world sport by bringing in athletes like Karim Benzema or Cristiano Ronaldo for salaries exceeding one hundred million euros annually and hosts the biggest golf, formula 1 or tennis competitions. . But its population remains glued to the sofa. “There is a real passion and a sporting culture among the Saudis, especially for football, notes Raphaël Le Magoariec, specialist in the Gulf and sport, author of The Empire of Qatar: the new master of the game? (Dots on the I, 2022). However, passion does not make practice. It’s screaming in Saudi Arabia: the stadiums are full, but mainly with overweight people.”
With the oil boom, the Saudi kingdom developed in the 1990s an “American” lifestyle, very sedentary and car-based, thanks to cheap gasoline. As a result, the country has one of the highest rates of obesity in the world, with more than half of its population overweight and almost a third affected by diabetes. A real public health issue that the Saudi authorities have been trying to stem in recent years.
Sport to avoid a next Arab spring
After introducing a tax on products that are too fatty and too sweet in 2017, Riyadh wants to make its population sweat by developing physical activity in schools and building huge “sport cities”, sports complexes with stadiums, sports and Olympic swimming pools. The official goal: reduce the obesity rate by 3% among Saudis by 2030 and reduce the percentage of diabetics by 10%.
The main obstacle to these objectives remains the temperature of the kingdom, which ranges from 30°C in winter to over 45°C in summer. In addition, the Gulf will be one of the places in the world where climate change will hit hardest, with increases in degrees twice as strong as elsewhere. “Relaunching the practice of sport is proving complex with a population that lives in air-conditioned spaces throughout the year and is less inclined to face the harshness of the climate in which it lives, points out Raphaël Le Magoariec. With the changes in temperature, it will become more and more complicated for the countries of the Arabian Peninsula to conduct a policy centered on the sports industry.They remain in a logic of power, to have an immediate impact, and therefore a short-termist thinking. “
As often in the kingdom, these initiatives are credited to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as “MBS”. As soon as he came to power, the king’s son built his image around sport, although he himself preferred console shooters. Last November, MBS surfed on the national team’s performance at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, declaring a public holiday after Saudi Arabia’s victory against Argentina in their first match. He now dreams of obtaining the organization of the 2030 World Cup, in the company of Greece and Egypt, and why not, one day, the Olympic Games.
The prince’s sports policy is primarily aimed at his youth, with 7 out of 10 Saudis under the age of 35. “Because of this imposing generation Z, which grew up with Snapchat, Instagram, Netflix and Real Madrid, MBS fears a new Arab Spring, raises Simon Chadwick, author of The Geopolitical Economy of Sport (2023). To satisfy them, or rather appease them, the crown prince offers them sports halls, Benzema, Ronaldo, Formula 1 grand prix, etc. A social contract is emerging with Saudi youth: you can have what you want, but never question our power.” Otherwise, MBS will know how to end the game.