Saudi Arabia accused of using sports to normalise Israel relations by stealth

Saudi Arabia has been accused of using sports to informally normalise relations with Israel following two controversial sporting events over the weekend.

Triathlete Shachar Sagiv became the first Israeli athlete to compete in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. On the same day, rising Saudi tennis star Yara Al-Hogbani competed against an Israeli player in a competition in Bahrain.

Activists have labelled the athletes' activities an "under-the-carpet normalisation" of relations between the two countries which do not yet have official relations despite strong speculation about informal contacts and a normalisation deal in the works. 

Saudi Arabia's Gulf allies the UAE and Bahrain removed bans on Israeli athletes competing before normalising ties with Israel in 2020 under the US-sponsored Abraham Accords.

Israeli Sagiv was eliminated from the Saudi NEOM leg of the Super League Triathlon after falling during a bike ride.

Al-Hogbani defeated Israeli player Isabell Bilaus in the semi-finals of the tennis J5 Isa Town Tournament in Bahrain. She later won the competition after defeating Russia's Tamara Ermakova in the finals.

Despite receiving praise for her win, social media users said that al-Hogbani "should have withdrawn" from the competition rather than compete against an Israeli athlete.

"[She] was supposed to withdraw and not play with an occupying country and our enemy," Twitter user Abdul Aziz wrote.

كان المفروض تنسحب ولا تلعب مع دولة محتلة وعدوة لنا .

— عبدالعزيز (@abdulazizalonaz) October 29, 2022

"But a game with the Zionists… it would have been more honourable for her to withdraw," another Twitter user wrote.

يعني لعبة مع الصهاينه حسبي الله كان انسحبت اشرف لها

— Hossein (@Hossein99008834) October 29, 2022

Some said Al-Hogbani would have faced more criticism if she had lost the match against her Israeli opponent.

"I am sure that if she lost they would curse her and tell her that it would have been more honourable for her to quit," another Twitter user said.

برافو يارا 👏🏻
متأكده لو خسرت بيجونها هذولاك ويتشمتون ويقولو لو انسحبت كان اشرف لك لعيون الك ضيه
لكن الحمدلله فازت والأكيد أنهم بيسوون نفسهم مايدرون عنها https://t.co/us1xAEvWxH

— M🌿 (@moo2_nn) October 29, 2022

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly said it would stick to the decades-old Arab League position of not establishing diplomatic relations with Israel until it withdraws from the occupied West Bank and lifts its siege of the Gaza Strip, allowing Palestinians to establish a viable state there.

However, unofficial relations are widely believed to exist, with the two countries sharing mutal hostility towards regional foe Iran. 

The UAE and Bahrain had seen Israeli athletes travel to the Gulf states before relations were normalised.

Other Arab athletes have held true to the boycott of Israel by withdrawing from bouts facing Israelis.