Influence of Saudi Arabia in sporting world highlighted in 2023 Forbes rich list

Saudi Arabia’s growing influence in sport has been laid bare in Forbes’ 2023 list of the world’s 10 highest-paid athletes, with four having links to the Middle Eastern country.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s position at No 1 (US$136m) may not come as a shock after doubling his salary in the move to Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr – bumping Lionel Messi to No 2 ($130m) in the process – but the inclusion of two golfers among the football and basketball millionaires is a departure from previous lists.

Dustin Johnson (No 6, $107m) and Phil Mickelson (No 7, $106m) are two of LIV Golf’s main players, Johnson being the first to make the switch from the PGA Tour in 2022. Johnson didn’t even crack the top 50 earners last year, while Mickelson was a regular in the top 10 between 2006 and 2016. But despite players losing some sponsorship since switching to LIV, the Saudi-backed tour’s bonuses and guaranteed cash seem to have fill that void.

Saudi Arabia has been accused of using sport to distract from its human rights abuses, rising number of executions, lack of press freedom and oppressive treatment of women and the LGBTQI+ community. The country ordered the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 and in March it executed a man during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan for the first time since 2009.

Saudi Arabia extended its influence to the Premier League in 2021 when its Public Investment Fund took over ownership of Newcastle United. The brother of a man executed by the country said its Formula One race legitimised its “heinous crimes”. Cricket is also on the horizon.

While LIV’s most recent tour stop in the Australian city of Adelaide was greeted with much fanfare and went off without protester interruption, Saudi Arabia is not getting