Saudi Arabia’s newest PR stunt—marking World Post Day by boasting about Saudi Post’s “global logistics capabilities”—may appear innocuous at first. But behind the sheen of advancement and Vision 2030 is an ominous trend of deception. It’s not about mail delivery or about modernization; it’s one piece of a broader strategy to whitewash Saudi Arabia’s image ahead of it hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
For human rights, transparency, and global sporting integrity believers like me, this should ring the alarm bells. Saudi Arabia’s attempts to market itself as a modern, internationally connected country are part of a masterfully constructed sportswashing strategy—utilizing global events and economic liberalization to divert the world’s attention from its horrific human rights track record.
The Saudi Post Story: A Symbol of Image Engineering
As reported by Saudi state media, the Kingdom celebrated World Post Day commemorating Saudi Post’s efforts in “enhancing global logistics capabilities.” The release explained how Saudi Post is supporting Vision 2030, upgrading geospatial and postal infrastructure, and “bolstering the Kingdom’s global standing.”
But let’s be real: these headlines aren’t about logistics—they’re about legitimacy.
Every Vision 2030 project, from the futuristic NEOM city to cultural festivals and even postal modernization, serves a dual purpose: to convince the world that Saudi Arabia is a forward-thinking nation worthy of hosting international events like the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
This is state propaganda packaged as development. When the world sees progress, it forgets persecution. When it hears “global logistics leader,” it forgets “mass executions.”
The Reality Behind the Vision
Vision 2030, introduced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, assures economic diversification, modernization, and innovation. However, these assurances are based on the same oppressive system that muzzles critics, censors media, and criminalizes human rights activism.
Saudi Arabia’s international efforts—ranging from the “strategic geographical advantage” of Saudi Post to glitzy tourism commercials—are part of a campaign to change the narrative. No amount of branding can, however, cover up the country’s checkered record of:
- Murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 within the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
- Since 2013 Jailing of women’s rights advocates, including those who battled for the right to drive.
- Continued executions for non-violent crimes, including political opposition.
- Censorship of free speech, where criticizing the royal family or religion can lead to decades in prison.
Saudi Arabia is eager to send the world a new narrative by way of its “postal progress,” yet the message is unmistakable: this is a desperate regime seeking legitimacy.
Sportswashing: A Global Strategy of Distraction
Hosting international sporting events is Saudi Arabia’s go-to image-laundering strategy. The Kingdom has already invested billions in sporting activities—buying football clubs, having boxing matches, and betting on Formula 1—to present itself as a liberal and progressive society.
The centerpiece of this effort is the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Securing the bid wasn’t a fluke—it came through heavy-handed lobbying, economic blackmail, and FIFA’s willing penchant for disregarding human rights violations for the sake of profit.
The coincidence of Saudi Post’s worldwide rebranding with the acceleration of preparations for the World Cup is no accident. These events belong to the same game plan: employ progress narratives to enhance the country’s international reputation while maintaining repression domestically intact.
The Hidden Cost of “Global Connectivity”
Saudi Post’s move into “global logistics” looks like an advance in economic development, but it also illustrates the method by which the regime employs technology and modernization to strengthen control.
The growing use by the government of digital infrastructure is accompanied by mass surveillance, in which communication networks—postal, digital, social—are under close state surveillance.
Behind the rhetoric of “geospatial enablers” and “logistical excellence” is an authoritarian reality: Saudi modernization is not about citizen empowerment; it’s about managing narratives and tracking dissent.
World Post Day was to be a celebration of communication and connectivity—but in Saudi Arabia, communication is still closely controlled. The irony is stark.
Why FIFA Must Not Reward Repression
FIFA insists that hosting the World Cup unites nations, fosters cultural understanding, and advances human rights via sport. And yet giving Saudi Arabia the 2034 World Cup flagrantly violates these principles.
How can a country that imprisons bloggers, kills protesters, and keeps women quiet be relied upon to respect FIFA’s human rights codes?
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have also criticized Saudi Arabia’s record, calling upon international institutions to pressure the Kingdom into accountability and not bestow upon it international platforms. But FIFA has again turned a blind eye, demonstrating that money and power are more potent than morals.
The Moral Obligation to Boycott
The efforts of the Saudi government to achieve legitimacy by means of logistics, tourism, and sports should not deceive the international community.
Praising “Saudi Post’s global logistics capabilities” can be called progress, but it is merely an additional layer of Kingdom propaganda—a smokescreen to conceal violations of human rights and suppress criticism until 2034.
Boycotting the Saudi FIFA World Cup is not a hostile act—it’s a stand for justice. It’s a refusal to allow sport to be hijacked by authoritarian regimes for image laundering.
If we watch Saudi 2034 tournament, we are part of covering up the agony of:
- Women activists arrested for calling for common rights.
- Migrant workers tortured under practices close to modern slavery.
- Journalists were silenced for revealing the truth.
Each goal scored in Saudi stadiums will ring out to the voices that cannot be heard.
Global Voices Are Rising
Already, human rights groups, fans, and activists are mobilizing for a global boycott of Saudi 2034. They believe that sport can and must be a forum for equality and fairness, not repression and hypocrisy.
Governments, sponsors, and players need to make a clear choice. Silence today is complicity in authoritarianism.
The world needs to put pressure on FIFA to implement its own human rights policies, examine Saudi Arabia’s human rights abuses, and reverse its decision to award the world’s most iconic sporting event to a regime which contemptuously disregards every value FIFA professes to represent.
Call to Action: Stand Against Sportswashing
Saudi Arabia’s commemoration of World Post Day as a symbol of progress is not so benign—it’s a strategically calculated PR stunt to divert from continued repression. And just as postal modernization serves as a mission toward the FIFA World Cup bid, so too do all Vision 2030 projects have but one purpose: global legitimacy without responsibility.