Norrie slammed over ‘jamboree of sportswashing’

BRITISH No 1 Cam Norrie has been accused of joining a ‘jamboree of sportswashing’ by signing up for an event in Saudi Arabia next month.

The world No 14 was given a dressing down by Amnesty International after he joined a dozen players in agreeing to play in the Diriyah Tennis Cup, a three-day exhibition starting on December 8.

Daniil Medvedev and Stan Wawrinka will also be among those receiving six-figure fees for turning up in Riyadh. Amnesty’s head of priority campaigns, Felix Jakens, called on Norrie (below) and others not to be drawn in as cover for abuses perpetrated by the government. ‘It’s really important top sporting figures use their high profiles to speak out about Saudi human rights abuses,’ he said. ‘We were never going to be telling people like Cameron Norrie where they should or shouldn’t play tennis, but he should realise he’s effectively being deliberately hired in to take part in the latest jamboree of Saudi sportswashing. ‘Cameron has a big platform and genuine influence, and he should use this to show solidarity with people like (Leeds student) Salma al-Shehab who are being cruelly persecuted in Saudi Arabia. What Saudi Arabia appears to look for with these competitions is a smiling high-profile sports star who will avoid talking about human rights. Cameron should speak out.’ Norrie responded: ‘I’m not a politician and 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.’ An inglorious start to December will also see an exhibition event in St Petersburg, Russia, with several international players.