Interview with Peter-Michael Reichel: "The friendliness of the people is enormous"
Peter-Michael Reichel and his agency BSG Sports Group are responsible for the first international tennis tournament in Saudi Arabia. Together with his partner Massimiliano Iuliano, he organized the Diriyah Tennis Cup in a suburb of the capital, Riyadh.
by Lukas Zahrer
last edit: Dec 17, 2019, 10:14 am
In an interview withtennisnet, the 67-year-old talks about the origin of the event, the criticism of sportswashing in Saudi Arabia and the future plans for the tournament.
tennisnet : Mr. Reichel, how did the idea of the Diriyah Tennis Cup come about?
Reichel : It was a lot of coincidence, but also the reward for many trips and discussions. A delegation of Arab delegates that my partner Massimiliano Iuliano knew visited us at the Hamburg European Open and was thrilled with the event.
tennisnet : Why do you go to a country like Saudi Arabia and organize a professional tennis tournament there?
Reichel : Sport will make an enormous contribution to bringing human rights closer to western standards. That won't happen suddenly, but there are countries where the situation is much worse. Fortunately, with Prince Abdulaziz Turki Al Faisal, Saudi Arabia has a sports minister who is himself an active motor sportsman. This gives him a big heart for sports.
tennisnet : How was the feedback when you announced the plans of the tournament?
Reichel : There were negative reactions, but less than I thought. There is a lack of understanding in Europe because the coverage of this country was only negative. Due to the Khashoggi incident, however, one mostly hears only bad things about Saudi Arabia. You don't have to shoot yourself at the Saudis. The enthusiasm of the people that we were there is extensive. I got thanks from strangers. The friendliness of the people is enormous. This certainly helps to drive tourism, which is a declared goal. Sport comes into play again.
tennisnet : Don't you do sports washing?
Reichel : Of course, sport is used to make connections to the outside world. I see it the other way around: the more we bring in European influence, the more they are forced to adapt. Otherwise nobody will come.
tennisnet : Does that really work?
Reichel : The opening of the country needs to be transported. The right steps are constantly being taken. The segregation in restaurants was only abolished in early December. Over the past 18 months, there have been over 20 measures that equate women. In addition, the tournament should give the youth an interesting task to exercise physically. More than half of the population is younger than 25. The age pyramid from developed countries is upside down here.
tennisnet : What was the most difficult thing about organizing the tournament?
Reichel : People don't understand that there are certain rules. For example, no drones should fly over the field during the matches, but they still sent them up at the start of the tournament. You would have to follow a few more rules to get approval for an official tournament.
tennisnet : The ball kids also seemed a bit awkward.
Reichel : They have been training for five weeks. At the beginning I thought we would have to fly some from Dubai (laughs) . But it is a sign that we have to do pioneering work. The situation improved during the tournament.
tennisnet : You bet on a live hawk eye, the "off" call came from a computer voice.
Reichel : This saves us the line judges. From an entrepreneurial point of view, this is an advantage because nobody obstructs the sponsors' logos. We also wanted to show that we are innovative and work with the latest methods.
Reichel about Diriyah Cup: "No player wanted to be the only focus"
tennisnet : Was it difficult to get players excited about the tournament?
Reichel : I was afraid to invite players. Most don't care what is written. You see yourself as athletes who see the opportunity to earn money in preparation for Australia. There were discussions before the first two commitments. Nadal and Djokovic were a warning example, they were attacked for their planned and later canceled exhibition in Saudi Arabia. No player wanted to be the only focus.
tennisnet : The basic rules of tennis were explained in the tournament's press kit. Have you ever experienced something like this?
Reichel : That was probably necessary because there are journalists who know nothing other than football. Another sign that a lot of work is waiting here. However, many high-ranking people were interested in the event. Something is developing.
tennisnet : Your daughter Sandra is not only in the front row in the organizational team in Linz, but also in the Diriyah Cup. But women don't have it easy in Saudi Arabia, do they?
Reichel : Sometimes they are fully accepted. In some situations, however, you notice that women are simply ignored. As everywhere in the world, collaboration must ensure that you treat each other with respect, regardless of whether you are male or female. We ourselves behave as we ask others to do. This has to happen vice versa.
tennisnet : Were you with the idea of the tournament in the right place at the right time?
Reichel : We are lucky that we are currently investing heavily in sport. We got promises for the future even before the tournament. We will definitely remain part of the tennis business - that much is certain.
tennisnet : Will there be a second edition of the Diriyah Cup?
Reichel : We want to organize a larger men's tournament. We have already received this promise. The players should arrive earlier because the training opportunities were well received. The idea is to organize a series of tournaments across the country as the tournament develops. A qualification could take place there, with starting places at the final tournament. In this way the base of the population could be addressed and children brought to sport.
tennisnet : Is it a goal to bring an ATP tournament to Saudi Arabia?
Reichel : It's a possibility, but I don't want to scare people away with it. Saudi Arabia has not made the calendar of professional tennis one week longer. More and more countries are trying to get tennis tournaments. At some point there will be maybe five tournaments a week. The competition is enormous. In Saudi Arabia there is also the will to invest.
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Diriyah Tennis Cup: Women's participation planned
tennisnet : The sports arena, in which a boxing match was also held in addition to the tennis tournament, will be completely dismantled. Will there be the same stadium again next year?
Reichel : Possible, but maybe we can also go to Jeddah (Saudi Arabia's second largest city, note) . It is warmer there this time of year. We got the promises for the near future with the clear mandate to help spread the sport in this country. Then the cooperation with the association is intensified to reach the base.
tennisnet : Are you considering inviting women too?
Reichel : Absolutely, we also had concrete discussions on this topic. We are still questioning which clothing regulations must apply. You probably need leggings over your knees, but you can already see that on the tour when the temperatures drop.
tennisnet : Before the interview, you said that you had been to Saudi Arabia for the first time in 1983. What is the comparison to today?
Reichel : Back then, I couldn't leave the hotel for six days. It was said that the sheikh wants to meet me. I had to ask him for a commission for permission to start a company. Everything is different today. Two pictures from back then are still in my head today.
tennisnet : Please tell us about it.
Reichel : There was a brand new, five-lane city highway. Suddenly there was a narrowing to two lanes because a mosque blocked the way. The road ran around the building, but there were at least 15 cars in the bank that overlooked it. Nobody wanted to give in on the street, which is partly the case today (laughs) .
tennisnet : What is your second memory?
Reichel : Back then, women weren't even allowed to sit in a car. Everyone had pick-ups, there were small benches on the loading area where the women sat. Fortunately, human rights and the way women are dealt with have changed significantly.