Is Saudi Arabia's sports revolution unravelling?

Breaking news from the world of sport: Is Saudi Arabia's sports revolution unravelling? Image source, Getty Images Image caption, LIV Golf's last event was held in Mexico and won by Jon Rahm By Dan Roan Sports editor Published 11 minutes ago The decision by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund to stop bankrolling LIV Golf at the end of the season has plunged the future of the breakaway series into doubt. It has also posed questions over the country's many other sporting investments.

After all, the kingdom has ploughed tens of billions of pounds over the past decade into establishing itself as a global sports hub, hosting an array of major events, from high-profile boxing fights and Formula 1 races, to tennis and horse racing. Most significantly, the kingdom will host the men's Fifa World Cup in 2034. So what does the Public Investment Fund's (PIF) withdrawal from LIV mean for the rest of their portfolio?

Match Details

Sport takes a closer look. Saudi Arabia to stop funding LIV Golf next season Published 18 hours ago What now for Rahm, DeChambeau and LIV's biggest names? Published 13 hours ago "PIF remains committed to deploying capital internationally in line with its investment strategy, including its substantial current and future investments in various sports as a priority sector.

" The final sentence of the statement released by PIF on Thursday when finally announcing it was pulling out of LIV Golf, ended weeks of intense speculation. The intended message was clear; despite abandoning a tour it had long portrayed as the future of the game, Saudi Arabia was still committed to the world of sport. Up until recently, no such reassurance would have been required.

Its huge spending has also extended to luring some of the world's biggest stars - including Cristiano Ronaldo - to its revamped domestic football league, and buying a majority stake in Premier League club Newcastle United. A sprawling collection of sports sponsorships cemented its burgeoning and disruptive influence over international sport , and a future Olympic bid felt like a formality. The country claimed that this was designed to help it to modernise and to diversify its economy by boosting tourism as part of the Crown Prince's Vision 2030 strategy, while inspiring its population to be more active.

Reactions and Expectations

Critics of its human rights record accused it of 'sportswashing' its reputation. The country's international standing was severely damaged by the 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a US-based Saudi journalist who was a prominent critic of the government. It has also faced scrutiny over its use of the death penalty.

But whatever the motive, has Saudi Arabia's relationship with sport started to cool? 'Shifting spending priorities' - but some sports better placed than others In January, Sport was told that towards the end of last year there was "a shift" in the kingdom's attitude towards some investments, with "everything in the PIF world under serious review".

The story has climbed to the top of the sports agenda, with fans and analysts following closely.