Emilie Bardet, Niklas Schnüriger, Elena Natali and Marco Ronchetti discuss the experience:

Your ARP explores Saudi Arabia’s sports strategy. What drew you to this topic? 

We were all interested in the link between sport, politics and economics and Saudi Arabia’s strategy brought all three together in a very visible way. Sport is often presented as something separate from politics, but in this case it was clearly being used as part of a much broader national strategy around investment, tourism, international influence and image-building. That immediately made the topic feel both timely and worth exploring.

We were also drawn to the fact that it was not a straightforward topic. There was a real tension between the official Vision 2030 narrative and the criticism around human rights and sportswashing. That gave us space to take a critical approach, but also challenged us to remain objective and produce something that was useful for the partner, rather than simply confirming our own views. Finding that balance became one of the most interesting parts of the project.

It was also quite different from many of the projects we had worked on in our courses. Partnering with Teneo gave us insight into how a consultancy approaches research for businesses and decision-makers, particularly in the Gulf. We could learn from their regional experience and think more practically about how research is framed, what kind of evidence is useful to a client, and how to turn a broad political and economic question into a clear final product.

So, while our shared interest in sport and politics initially drew us in, the combination of a complex topic, a strong critical dimension and the opportunity to work with a consultancy made the project especially engaging. Looking back, it definitely lived up to our expectations.

How was your experience preparing for the project work? 

Our first meeting was really about getting a sense of how each of us worked and what we could bring to the project. We shared our research strengths, methodological skills and past experiences, which helped us divide tasks quite naturally from the start.

The topic from the partner was exciting, but also very broad, so the first challenge was figuring out what we actually wanted to focus on. We spent quite a lot of time reading around sports diplomacy, soft power, economic diversification and the role of the PIF, and at that stage there were probably too many directions we could have gone in. Part of the preparation was therefore learning to let go of interesting ideas and narrow the project down to something manageable.

What made that phase enjoyable was that we were all genuinely curious about the topic. There were a lot of discussions, shared articles and moments of saying, “This is really interesting, but does it actually fit our question?” It was also the point where we started thinking more critically about the gap between the official Vision 2030 narrative and the wider political and social debate around Saudi Arabia’s sports strategy.

Overall, the preparation phase was busy, but also quite energising. It gave us a clear base for the interviews, data collection and analysis that followed and helped us feel that we were building the project together rather than simply splitting it into four separate pieces.

How did you go about the logistics and what was the support you received in general and from your supervisor?

A lot of the logistics came down to regular coordination—and a very active WhatsApp chat. We met frequently as a group, both in person and online, and the first part of the semester was mainly about aligning our different backgrounds and ways of working, agreeing on the direction of the project and narrowing down the many angles we could have explored.

From January onwards, the work became more intense as we moved into interviews, data collection, analysis and writing. We had recurring check-ins with our project partner and with Dr. Ray, while most of the day-to-day coordination happened between the four of us through meetings, shared Google Docs and many rounds of comments. Some periods were definitely busier than others and bringing all the different sections together into one coherent report took a lot of time and effort.

We also had to navigate a change in our main contact at the partner organisation during the project. Dr. Ray was very helpful in guiding us through that transition and giving us direction through regular feedback sessions.

At the same time, we managed to fit in some nice social moments, which helped strengthen the feeling that we were working as a real team and going through the experience together. Overall, it was a demanding project, but also a very positive one. We learned not only about the topic itself, but also about how to manage a long group project, make decisions collectively and turn many different pieces of research into one final product.

You focused on economic diversification and soft power, could you speak more about how this was outlined in your project?

We looked at economic diversification and soft power as two connected parts of the same strategy. On the economic side, we wanted to understand whether Saudi Arabia’s large investments in sport were actually helping to create new sources of growth beyond oil. We therefore looked at areas such as the sports sector’s contribution to GDP, tourism, foreign investment, sponsorships and private-sector participation. One challenge was that the available data were often fragmented, so it was difficult to give a simple answer on the direct economic returns.

At the same time, we could not look at the strategy only through an economic lens. Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and the accusations of sportswashing were an important part of the wider debate around these investments. This made the project particularly interesting, but also quite delicate. We had to balance our own views and critical understanding of the topic with the need to remain objective, answer the research question and produce something useful for the partner rather than simply writing the report we personally might have chosen to write.

That balance shaped how we approached soft power. We looked at how sport can increase visibility, support tourism, create diplomatic relationships and make Saudi Arabia appear as a more established global business and political partner. But we also considered the limits and risks of that strategy, especially when reputational concerns remain and perceptions differ significantly across countries and audiences.

Overall, our conclusion was that the clearest impact so far is probably not direct profit, but the broader strategic value created through visibility, diplomacy, tourism and international positioning. One of the most valuable parts of the project was learning how to produce a critical analysis while still respecting the purpose of the assignment and the perspective of the partner.

What were some key take-aways or conclusions you drew from this experience and how does it support your overall learning experience in the MINT programme?

One of the main takeaways from this project was learning how to collaborate with a real company. This was very motivating to have the feeling of producing a research that was going to be useful. At the same time it was a great learning experience because we also had to meet academic expectations. It was the first time we had to balance the demands of an academic project with the needs of an external partner, making the experience both challenging and rewarding. Receiving regular feedback from both our industry partner and the faculty lead made the project especially engaging and helped us continuously improve our work.

Another important outcome was the confidence we gained in conducting research. Throughout the project, we strengthened our skills in designing a research process, conducting literature reviews, carrying out interviews, and analysing data. These are valuable competencies that will directly support us in future academic work, particularly our master's thesis.

The project also taught us how important it is to adapt the way we communicate research depending on the audience. Working with a consultancy meant that we had to think not only about whether our analysis was academically sound, but also whether it was clear, relevant and useful for people working with businesses and decision-makers. This was quite different from some of the projects we had previously completed in our courses, and it gave us a better understanding of how research can be used outside the university.

At the same time, the topic pushed us to stay critical. We had to consider Saudi Arabia’s official narrative around economic diversification and social transformation, while also taking seriously the wider debate around human rights, sportswashing and international criticism. One of the most valuable lessons was learning how to balance our own critical understanding with the need to remain objective and respond to what the partner was actually asking from us.

This connects very well with the MINT programme because it required us to bring together economics, politics, international relations and social questions within one project. It also showed us that real-world problems rarely fit neatly into one discipline, and that producing useful research often means combining different methods, perspectives and ways of working.

The ARP encourages team work. How did you approach working collectively?

Teamwork was at the core of this project. From the outset, we recognised that differing opinions were inevitable, but we viewed open communication as a strength rather than a challenge. We supported one another, trusted each other's contributions and felt comfortable providing constructive feedback whenever necessary.

We also tried to be quite honest about our different strengths, working styles and availability. This helped us divide responsibilities, but we were careful not to let the project become four completely separate pieces. We regularly reviewed each other’s sections, discussed how the different findings connected, and spent a lot of time making sure that the final report had one clear direction and voice.

The project had more and less intense periods, so flexibility was important. There were many meetings, WhatsApp messages, shared documents and comments, particularly when we moved into the interview, analysis and writing stages. At times, the main challenge was simply coordinating all the different parts and agreeing on what to prioritise, especially because the topic offered so many possible angles.

At the same time, we managed to create some social moments around the work, which made the more demanding periods easier and strengthened the feeling that we were going through the experience together. Overall, we got along and worked together very well, which made the collaboration both productive and enjoyable. Beyond completing the project successfully, this experience strengthened our ability to collaborate effectively, manage disagreements and bring different perspectives into one unified project, skills that will be valuable in our future professional careers.

Could you share with us a fun or important moment that occurred during this experience?

At quite a delicate stage of our research, we had encountered some issues in contacting experts, especially people from Saudi Arabia’s government who refused or ignored our requests to release interviews. As much as we expected this reaction, we really cared about including their perspectives and developing a comprehensive and representative final report. At the time, one of us was attending the Human Rights Council and had the possibility of engaging directly with representatives from the Mission of Saudi Arabia. The opportunity was taken during Ramadan, and, as much as we didn’t carry out a proper interview, those small conversations still gave us some interesting insights and helped us better understand how the topic was presented from their perspective.

More generally, some of the most memorable moments came from the way we managed to work together despite very busy schedules. There were a few very late sessions, and times when we were all in different countries or time zones, working on the same document from trains, airports, phones or wherever we happened to be. It was sometimes a bit chaotic, but also quite funny and it showed how committed everyone was to making the project work.

One of the best outcomes was probably that the group became more than just a project team. We built a genuine friendship and a strong sense of trust, knowing that everyone would do their part even during the most intense periods. By the end, I think we had spent almost as much time coordinating on WhatsApp and Google Docs as actually sleeping, but somehow it worked.