Tennis players to receive paid maternity leave courtesy of Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s move to fund a year’s paid maternity leave for pregnant professional tennis players led to accusations of sports washing. The program is the first in women’s sports, the Women’s Tennis Association said.

Riyadh has funneled billions into the world’s biggest sports leagues to diversify its economy away from oil, though critics say the true aim is to launder its reputation: The kingdom ranks 126th out of 146 nations for gender inequality, according to a widely used index.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has dismissed such allegations, saying in a 2023 interview: “If sports washing [is] going to increase my GDP by way of one percent, then I will continue doing sport washing.”