Saudi Arabia: New Sports Law
By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
Promulgated in late 2025, the new Saudi Arabia Sports Law ((Royal Decree No. M/121) creates a comprehensive, enforceable legal framework for the booming sports industry of the Kingdom.
The new Law establishes a National Sports Registry; requires licensing for sports clubs and events; and enforces strict governance, financial, and compliance standards, facilitating privatisation and commercialisation.
The main features of the new Law are as follows:
- Regulatory Framework: the new Law provides a unified regulatory system covering licensing, inspection, and dispute resolution, aiming to transition from high-level policy to evidence-based execution.
- National Sports Registry: the new Law identifies key entities—Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committees, federations, clubs, and leagues—requiring them to be registered in order for them to operate legally.
- Commercialisation and Governance: sports clubs are formalised as regulated economic actors, allowing them to operate as companies and commercialise sports-related rights.
Licensing & Approvals: mandatory Ministry of Sport licensing is required for sports events, facilities, academies, and, specifically, the commercial management of sports competitions.
- Athlete Protection & Standards: new, strict regulations on player/coach contracts, remuneration, and dispute resolution are introduced to ensure fairness. -- Saudisation: a15% quota for Saudi nationals, in specific roles, within sports centres and gyms, with four or more employees, must be introduced by 18 November of this year.
The new Law is in line with ‘Saudi Vision 2030’, which is a strategic and ambitious framework, launched in 2016 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and which aims to diversify the Saudi Arabia economy away from oil, transform its society, and modernise its infrastructure.
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘
