Judy Murray's Saudi role branded 'sportswashing'

Judy Murray will oversee tennis events for school and university students and taster sessions for children

Judy Murray's role as a tennis coach at a tournament in Saudi Arabia next week would be used as sportswashing, a human rights organisation has said.

Murray, mother of Grand Slam winners Jamie and Andy, agreed to hold tennis classes for girls in Saudi Arabia during the Diriyah Tennis Cup.

Amnesty International urged her to to use the opportunity to speak out about The Gulf kingdom's human rights abuses.

Murray has said she wanted to remove barriers to tennis participation.

Saudi Arabia has been accused of using events to "sportswash" its reputation.

The state's reputation for human rights violations and oppressing women has come under intense international scrutiny and boxing, Formula 1 and golf have all been criticised for holding events in the country in recent years.

Murray's younger son - Sir Andy Murray - previously turned down a seven-figure sum to play in Saudi Arabia because of his concerns about human rights.

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An Amnesty International spokeswoman said: "While promoting women's sport in a country which has long stifled women and girls' human rights is a positive thing, it is important that Judy Murray should realise she's being asked to perform a sportswashing role in Saudi Arabia.

"We encourage Judy Murray, as we would other attendees at the Diriyah Tennis Cup, to use the opportunity to speak out and show solidarity with those who are being persecuted in Saudi Arabia's relentless crackdown on human rights."

A 2021 report by human rights group Grant Liberty said Saudi Arabia had spent upwards of $1.5bn (£1.32bn) to bring international sport to the country.

Some of the high-profile cases to have drawn criticism in the country include the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the war in Yemen and the execution of 81 people in a single day.

'Removing barriers' to sport

The Diriyah Tennis Cup runs from 8 to 10 December in the UNESCO heritage site Ad Diriyah, on the outskirts of Riyadh, and has a a top prize of $1m.

Twelve male players will take part in the exhibition contest, including Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka, Olympic medallist Andrey Rublev and British number one Cameron Norrie.

Murray will oversee tennis events for school and university students and taster sessions for children and their parents at the tournament.

In a statement, Judy Murray said she wanted to "remove barriers to participation" in the sport.

"Throughout my involvement in tennis, I have championed the cause of giving as many people as possible the opportunity to try tennis and to fall in love with it the way I have, and the way Jamie and Andy have," she said.

"I am particularly keen to ensure girls and women are given an equal opportunity to enjoy and experience tennis, whether for fun, for fitness or for friendship."

She added: "I look forward to bringing that message and the practical skills and knowledge to the tennis community in Saudi Arabia in the effort to introduce more girls and women to tennis."

Diriyah Tennis Cup said on Tuesday they were "thrilled" she would be at the tournament to "oversee a series of events as coach" and inspire girls and women to pick up a racket.

Arij Almutabagani, president of the Saudi Tennis Federation, said she was looking forward to Murray´s visit and was "committed to the development of women's tennis".

"Murray brings a breadth of experience and skill which will further encourage girls' participation in tennis", she said.

Cameron Norrie said he was "not a politician"

Amnesty International last month urged the players at the tournament to speak out on Saudia Arabia's human rights record.

At the time they said they would not tell players where they should not play tennis, but they called on Cameron Norrie to support University of Leeds student Salma al-Shehab who was jailed for 34 years for tweets considered critical of the state.

World number 14 Norrie said he was "not a politician".

"I don't feel it's right for me to get involved with individual government politics," he said, adding that the event would help him train for the Australian Open.