Saudi Arabia is championing its national ambitions through sport

In the 21st century, the battlegrounds for global influence have expanded far beyond the military and economic spheres. Today, sport represents a powerful new channel for national expression — a soft power tool that can simultaneously unify a population, project a modern identity and assert sovereignty on the world stage.

While traditional international bodies often preach a homogenized globalism, Saudi Arabia has decided to harness sport as a central pillar of its transformative Vision 2030, offering an interesting model of how nations can pursue their own strategic ambitions.

For decades, the landscape of international sport was curated by established institutions like the International Olympic Committee, FIFA and major international federations. Their models often prioritized a form of universalism that could conflict with strong, distinct national expressions, viewing them as disruptive to a centralized governance structure.

The Kingdom recognized that, in the digital age, sovereignty in sport also means controlling the underlying infrastructure

Philippe Blanchard

The recent, and very public, termination of the partnership between the IOC and Saudi Arabia to create the Olympic Esports Games is a case in point. The IOC’s insistence on mandating “nonviolent” games and traditional federation structures opposed Saudi Arabia’s pragmatic, forward-looking model built on direct partnerships with game publishers, teams and a true recognition of what modern esports audiences actually want.

On the Saudi side, it has been a clear assertion of strategy. The Kingdom recognized that, in the digital age, sovereignty in sport also means controlling the underlying infrastructure — be it intellectual property through massive investments in gaming publishers like EA or creating parallel, world-class events like the Esports World Cup and Nations Cup.

This strategic clarity extends far beyond the digital realm.

Domestically, the Saudi Games is a masterclass in using sport for nation-building. The event is more than a competition; it is a vehicle for national transformation. By tripling sports participation since 2022 and creating a flagship event for more than 200 clubs across 45 disciplines, the Kingdom is fostering national unity, public health and talent development from the ground up.

The Saudi Games is an expression of internal sovereignty, building a national identity through shared athletic endeavor

Philippe Blanchard

This is a sovereign investment in human capital, creating a healthier, more cohesive society aligned with Vision 2030’s “Quality of Life” objectives.

Critics in the Western media and certain nongovernmental organizations try to dismiss this as “sportswashing,” but these critiques miss the profound internal dimension. The Saudi Games is a powerful act of self-definition, a declaration that sport is a fundamental right and a national priority for its own citizens. It is an expression of internal sovereignty, building a national identity through shared athletic endeavor.

Furthermore, Saudi Arabia’s ambition is not just to participate in the global sports arena but to redefine it architecturally and logistically. The Neom Sky Stadium (unveiled last July as part of the Kingdom’s formal 2034 World Cup bid submission to FIFA in Paris) is another testament to this ambition.

This vertical marvel is more than a venue; it is a statement. It signals a break from convention and a leap into the future. While the operational challenges are significant, the project’s “spectacle over practicality” ethos is precisely the point. It positions Saudi Arabia not as a follower of global trends but as a pioneer, creating bucket list experiences that elevate the very concept of a sporting event.

This is sovereignty through architectural and experiential innovation, establishing the Kingdom as a destination for the world’s most prestigious mega-events. The contrast with other global models is stark. While African sports demonstrate the challenges of “athlete migration” — where talent leaves due to a lack of local infrastructure and funding — Saudi Arabia is creating a powerful magnetic pull in the opposite direction.

Through sovereign wealth fund investments and strategic vision, it is building the very infrastructure, incentives and leagues that retain talent and attract global stars.

For us, Saudi Arabia’s sporting strategy is a highly sophisticated and justified exercise in modern sovereignty. It operates on three simultaneous fronts: building national identity from within (the Saudi Games), creating sovereign alternatives to legacy international systems (esports strategy) and pioneering the future of sports infrastructure (Neom, Sports Boulevard and even Qiddiya). Rather than bending to the demands of external bodies, the Kingdom is confidently building a self-sustaining sports ecosystem that serves its national interests and its people.

In doing so, Saudi Arabia is not breaking the rules of the game, it is writing a new playbook for how a nation can leverage sport to secure its future, on its own terms. The world is not just watching, it is being invited to participate in a new, ambitious vision of what national expression in sport can be.

• Philippe Blanchard served as a director at the International Olympic Committee and later oversaw the bid dossier and operations for Dubai Expo 2020. He now leads Futurous, a consulting boutique on the sports of the future and the future of sport.