Why The Calls To Boycott Golfers Playing In The Saudi Tournament Is Hypocritical – OpEd

I am not defending Saudi Arabia for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. My moral compass just cannot accept what was done to that man. But there are problems with calls to ban the players that are currently participating in the Saudi Arabian funded LIV Golf league from other golfing tournaments — and the reasons are very simple.

For one, the separation of sports and politics has always been healthy and fair. Fair to the players whose lives are centered around preparations for competing in their respective sports. Unless a player is openly advocating human rights abuses or violence, they shouldn’t have to suffer the consequences of their government’s mistakes.

The other reason is simply that, with such mentality, if were to be honest and fair, countries such as Israel and the US wouldn’t be allowed to host any sporting event. All we have to do is to remember waterboarding, or the recent assassination of Al Jazeera journalist Abu Akleh! 

So it goes, either all countries hosting these sporting events be denied the right to host them or become saintly before they are allowed to do so.