Norrie defends participation in Diriyah Tennis Cup after being accused of sportswashing: "I don't feel it's right for me to get involved with individual government politics"

Cameron Norrie has come out to defend his participation at the controversial Diriyah Cup in Saudia Arabia saying it's not right for him to be political.

Many prominent tennis players have signed up to play at the Diriyah Cup in Saudia Arabia garnering widespread criticism due to the country's record on human rights among many other things. Norrie is among the list of players that include Medvedev, Rublev, Zverev, Thiem, Wawrinka and others.

Provigind a comment to BBC, Norrie defended his participation:

"I don't feel it's right for me to get involved with individual government politics. My job is to be a professional tennis player and this event in Saudi allows me to train with some of the best players in the world.

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Amnesty International criticised players like Norrie for taking part because it creates a positive image of the country that doesn't sit right with many people who consider the country oppressive in many ways. Amnesty UK's Felix Jakens said:

"With Saudi Arabia currently throwing sizeable bundles of money at everything from golf and Grand Prix, to boxing and football, it's really important that top sporting figures use their high profiles to speak out about Saudi human rights abuses. We would like to see any player who agrees to compete in Diriyah refusing to be passively used for sports washing by speaking out on human rights issues."

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