More than 100 golfers are competing in the Saudi Ladies International in total, with many staying on for the Saudi Ladies Team International next week.

The baking heat will be an alien environment for the female golfers, but the players are something of a novelty themselves. Indeed, the promotion of women’s sport in Saudi Arabia would be unimaginable just two years ago, when women in the country were still unable to drive and the strict male guardianship system was in place. These authoritarian regulations have since been relaxed somewhat, and with this has come a rise in opportunities for female athletes and officials in sport.

A prize fund of $1 million (£758,000/€845,000) has been made available for the Saudi Ladies International, making it the third highest-paying event on the Ladies European Tour. In addition, Golf Saudi recently announced the Ladies First Club, which will offer 1,000 women complimentary membership on three different courses. The membership is set to be inclusive of golf lessons, driving range access and full 18-hole rounds.

This is remarkably progressive, especially when considering the exclusionary nature of golf in other countries. Male-only membership is either still present or a recent memory in many clubs in the United States or Britain, for example.

Saudi Arabia recently announced the creation of its first women’s football league, just two years after female spectators were allowed into football matches around the country. The league was launched in February but has been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, it marks another significant milestone in the rapid development of women’s sport in the Kingdom.

Women are also set to play a significant role in Saudi Arabia’s bid for the 2030 Asian Games. Dalma Malhas, who became the country’s first female Olympic medallist when she earned individual showjumping bronze at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, was named chair of the Riyadh 2030 Athletes’ Commission.

After a recent visit from the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Evaluation Committee, Riyadh 2030 and Saudi Arabia Olympic Committee (SAOC) President Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Alfaisal was rightly questioned on the involvement of women in the Games. He described women as the "driving force" behind the bid and pledged to have "more diversity and inclusion" if Saudi Arabia were to be awarded the multi-sport competition. 

Dr Razan Baker is an example of a Saudi woman who has risen to the top of sports governance. Deemed to be a pioneer of women’s sport in her country, Baker currently serves on the Saudi Arabian Federation Board and is SAOC director of communications. She has also just become chair of the International Bowling Federation’s women in sport committee. 

There has clearly been significant progress in the development of women’s sport in Saudi Arabia then, but to what ends? Much has already been made of the Kingdom’s "sportswashing" strategy, which hopes to wipe away a torrent of human rights abuses through the organisation of glitzy and glamorous sporting events. 

Saudi Arabia seems to have added another string to its bow. Unlike many other countries, it has recognised the value of women’s sport and it is utilising it. The offer of significant sums of prize money must be irresistible to many female athletes, who are normally used to playing second fiddle to their male counterparts. 

To become a major player in the world of women’s sport simply requires money, something which Saudi Arabia has in abundance. There are a number of human rights organisations and athletes who believe the Kingdom is not making the investment for the right reasons, however. 

English golfer Meghan MacLaren is absent from the Saudi Ladies International, despite her impressive form during last year’s Ladies European Tour. She told Today’s Golfer that she skipped the competition "based on what I think sport is being used to do in Saudi Arabia."

"Based on the research or organisations like Amnesty International, I couldn’t be comfortable as part of that process," she said.

"We take for granted a lot of choices and freedoms we have, but I try to make decisions based on who I am as a person, not just a golfer. It’s a huge tournament for us, but this to me is about more than just golf."

Compatriot Mel Reid, who publicly came out as gay in 2018, has also chosen not to compete. Homosexuality is illegal in Saudi Arabia and is punished by imprisonment or death.

"I don’t think it would be morally correct if I played," Reid said. "I don’t agree with a lot of the culture. It’s not something I want to be around, not something I want to risk."

A group of 19 human rights organisations, including MENA Rights Group, the Saudi ALQST and Code Pink, launched a campaign to boycott the Saudi Ladies International last month. In an open letter, they gave examples of the women who still languish in prison after campaigning for the right to drive, including Loujain al-Hathloul, Samar Badawi, Nassima al-Sadah, Nouf Abdulaziz and Mayaa al-Zahrani.

"While we acknowledge that such tournaments represent an important milestone in women’s golf, we are deeply concerned that Saudi Arabia is using this sports event as a public relations tool to sportswash its appalling human rights record, including the discrimination against women and the crackdown on women’s rights defenders," the letter said. Indeed, the offer of free golf lessons suddenly seems trivial after acknowledging the continued imprisonment of female activists.   

It is clear that many athletes are uncomfortable about the emergence of Saudi Arabia in women's sport, enough so to reject opportunities that have long been unavailable to them. They do not wish to compete in a country where women are treated as second-class citizens, where it is clear that their own battles for equality are minor in comparison.

This uneasiness is justified and may be the precursor to a wider debate facing female athletes. To what extent is women's sport willing to capitalise on funding and investment from dubious regimes to secure its development? 

For now, Saudi Arabia's intentions in women's sport should be scrutinised with a healthy dose of cynicism.