NEW YORK (AP) — Saudi Arabia’s move into tennis will now include a multiyear deal to sponsor the WTA women’s rankings.
The WTA released word of its partnership agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) on Monday, a move that follows last month’s news that the kingdom will host the tour’s season-ending championships in Riyadh starting this year and February’s announcement that it will sponsor the ATP men’s rankings.
Both tours’ rankings deals are for five years.
The PIF is the first naming-rights partner for the WTA rankings and the new arrangement also includes plans to promote tennis at lower levels of the sport.
Tennis has been consumed lately by the debate over whether the sport should follow golf and others in making deals with Saudi Arabia, where rights groups say women continue to face discrimination in most aspects of family life and homosexuality is a major taboo, as it is in much of the rest of the Middle East.
French sports minister calls for sanctions after Monaco player tapes over anti
Woman charged over Auckland hit
Bullying rife at Buller High School, students say
Young Boys seals 6th Swiss soccer league title in 7 years after rallying from firing coach Wicky
LAUSD investigating inappropriate photos being shared amongst students at Fairfax High School
Winston Peters discusses Gaza ceasefire with UN Secretary
VOX POPULI: LDP’s Nikai’s ‘expenditures’ on books must make libraries weep
Socialite Jasmine Hartin enjoys beach snuggle with electrician hunk
Russia election: Arrests for vandalism as ballot boxes targeted in Putin vote
Supreme Court rejects an appeal from a Canadian man once held at Guantanamo
Beijing confirms missing Taiwan publisher Li Yanhe is under national security investigation