Chester King, the president of the British Esports Federation and a freshly appointed European Esports Federation board member, will be heading to the first GREAT FUTURES event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, later this month to offer a presentation on the benefits of cooperation between businesses in the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia. GREAT FUTURES is a conference being put together jointly by the Saudi Arabian government and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Trade (DIT).
King’s contribution will be a conversation about how the “Saudi Esports Federation and British Esports Federation” will be supporting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s gaming and esports strategy to “create over 35,000 jobs and contribute $13.3 billion to the country’s GDP by 2030.” While not specifically listed, it is likely that Saudi Esports Federation President HRH Prince Faisal will take part in the conversation.
In case you’re not familiar with it, GREAT FUTURES is described by the DIT as a “12-month partnership with the government of Saudi Arabia [that] aims to drive mutually beneficial relationships and explore the value that UK businesses can bring to the country’s Vision 2030.”
The event will take place in Riyadh, from May 14-15, at the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) Conference Centre.
King’s participation in the event isn’t particularly surprising as the Saudi Esports Federation and the British Esports Federation announced plans to collaborate in October 2023. At the time, King told TEA that his organization would not be receiving any financial benefit from the federation or the government for its cooperation.
TEA Reached out to King prior to the publication of this story and will provide an update should he respond.
The DIT’s enthusiasm in cooperating with the Saudi Arabian government might not be well received by the 748,000 people who identified as gay or lesbian, the 624,000 people who identified as bisexual, or the 165,000 people who identified as “other sexual orientation” in a 2021 census report by the British government. Why? Because their orientation is generally considered illegal/immoral in Saudi Arabia.
And while Saudi Arabia has enacted many reforms related to women’s rights, it has also taken a few steps in the wrong direction, according to critics; this 2023 report from Human Rights Watch details some of those challenges—and more recently—watchdog group Amnesty International pushed back on news that the country would chair the UN Commission on the Status of Women and pointed to “a leaked draft of Saudi Arabia’s first written penal code,” which would have “further catastrophic consequences for women in the country,” according to the organization.
Another step backward is the conviction of Manahel al-Otaibi, who promoted positive messages about women’s rights on social media using a hashtag and supported HRH Crown Prince MBS’ reforms—she was sentenced to 11 years in prison by an anti-terrorism court in Saudi Arabia on Jan. 9. Rights groups such as Amnesty International have called on the government to release her.
On a related note, the official site created by the IDT for GREAT FUTURES offers the following guidance for women and LGBTQ+ individuals traveling to Riyadh for the event:
The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) advises that it is safe to travel to Riyadh at this time. Please see travel advice for certain groups below:
Women: Women’s rights have improved significantly since the launch of Vision 2030, and women are now afforded more freedom. Female travelers do not have to wear the traditional robe (‘abaya’) or cover their hair, although it is recommended that both women and men dress modestly.
LGBTQ+: Although same-sex relations are illegal, legal action is uncommon. All couples should still be aware of local customs and avoid showing affection in public. Being transgender is not recognised in Saudi Arabia, and transgender people could also face difficulties with dress code.