Was Pádraig Harrington right to say Ireland exports military technology to Saudi Arabia?

On Tuesday, the PGA Tour and LIV Golf announced their surprise merger that will end a year-long rift in professional golf. LIV, a breakaway tour which held its inaugural event in June 2022, has been controversial for various reasons. Chief among them is the fact that LIV’s funding comes from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), a sovereign wealth fund headed by Mohammed Bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince.
Many consider the vast sums offered to professional golfers to be tainted income from a government that has a heavily criticised human rights record. Saudi involvement in golf is seen as the latest stage in a process called sportswashing, whereby the regime attempts to clean its tarnished international reputation by taking a leading role in popular sport.
On Tuesday, after news broke of the shock merger, Irish golfer Pádraig Harring …

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