Attention - The Middle East Smells of Change

 The presence of Middle Eastern countries in the world of gaming is slowly increasing in the recent past. I remember a few years back no one knew that Arab, UAE, Saudi, etc are related to football, formula one, or any other common sports.

But the FIFA World Cup and the visit of Ronaldo to Al Nasser attracted the world's attention to this region. The annual Spanish Cup was organized by Saudi Arabia. So Middle Eastern countries are coming forward for games.

Etihad, Qatar Airways,  Emirates, and Turkish Airlines, are many big names that are going to sponsor major clubs, tournaments, and leagues around the world. PSG and Manchester City, which are European clubs, are owned by state-funded sovereign wealth funds.

Many people are calling it game washing, and countries are using it to improve their reputations by using it. Others are calling it diversification, as the trend at the COP summit is calling for a shift from liquid golf to clean energy which doesn't bode well for the Middle Eastern country.

Take a look at some of the games that are spreading their legs.

CRICKET-

A popular game that had a billion fans around the world. This game is spreading in the region of the middle east, especially in the region of UAE. It hosted the Asia cup in the year of 2018 and 2021. The T20 world cup was co-hosted by UAE and OMAN. IPL had held in UAE. It had gained large eyesight because of the huge fanbase of the game. Many other countries get the status of Associate from the ICC, like Iran, Qatar, Bahrain,  and Saudi are some of them. 

Let me remind you that this is not the first attempt by these countries in the field of cricket, the story began in the 1980s. In the year 1984, Sharjah hosted the Asia Cup.

Hence, the region has the potential and potential to nurture cricket.

FORMULA 1-

When we talk about motor racing, Formula 1 is where the eye stops. For the last 9 years, Abu Dhabi GP was ending the finale but in 2021 Max Verstappen won the stage.

Countries such as Istanbul, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia are attracting crowds and fans worldwide for the event. Money is the only reason because of why they can organize it as a sports-loving Indian is not active in the same sport.

WWE-

Though it is not professional wrestling it is the biggest sports entertainment. Due to the high connectivity in the modern era, the world is becoming crazy about this event.

There was news in the market that the Saudi firm had taken over WWE. Although since 2014, Saudi had organized many shows and events of WWE.

These sporting events by the Middle East and Saudi countries are projecting them as liberal from their usual image. The countries are on the way to emphasizing and increasing sports events in their region, they want to host Golf, Badminton. More nostalgic games to change their image.