nexus

Is Saudi Arabia using sport to distract from human rights abuses?

All fight fans were really looking forward to Tyson Fury v Anthony Joshua - which was meant to take place in Saudi Arabia this August - but for contractual reasons the fight’s been called off. Turns out that Fury is obliged to fight Deontay Wilder for a third time before he can face Joshua. This is all a huge disappointment for fight fans, but for some human rights campaigners it’s a good thing the fight’s not going ahead. They accuse Saudi of using the fight - indeed sporting events in general - to cover-up the country’s poor human rights record, a process known as sportswashing.

Route 6