Saudis to pull out of LIV Golf
Global News Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 8.2K Ratings
🗓️ 30 April 2026
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Saudi Arabia will withdraw its multi-billion dollar backing of LIV Golf at the end of the season, plunging the future of the series into further doubt. LIV was formed as a breakaway from the longstanding PGA tour, offering large sums to lure away some of golf's top players. The move was always seen as controversial - human rights groups accused Saudi Arabia of using sports sponsorship to distract from its poor human rights record. LIV says it hopes to attract new sponsors, though it's not clear who might be able to match the billions which Saudi Arabia's oil wealth had made available. Also: Relations between the US and Germany are tested over the war in Iran as President Trump and Chancellor Merz criticise one another; pro-Palestinian activists say at least 22 boats from a flotilla carrying aid for Gaza have been intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters near the Greek island of Crete; China introduces new restrictions on the use of drones, which include a near- total ban on flying them in Beijing; and a DNA study offers new clues on the fall of Ancient Rome.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:05.7 | This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:10.7 | Hello, I'm Ankara, and at 15 hours GMT on Thursday, the 30th of April, these are our main stories. |
| 0:17.9 | Saudi Arabia is to stop funding the Liv Golf Tour at the end of the season. |
| 0:22.4 | Liv was formed as a breakaway from the longstanding PGA tour with billions of dollars offered |
| 0:27.2 | to lure top players. President Trump has said his administration is considering reducing |
| 0:32.2 | troops from Germany, appearing to be in retaliation for some critical comments by the German Chancellor Friedrich |
| 0:38.8 | Meertz. Pro-Palestinian activists say a flotilla of boats carrying aid to Gaza has been |
| 0:44.4 | intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters near Greece. Also in this podcast, we hear |
| 0:53.1 | about workers in Kenya who alleged they had to view distressing images captured by meta smart glasses. |
| 1:00.1 | Sometimes people employed in doing this work encounter extremely graphic content. |
| 1:05.6 | One person said he felt doing this work he'd lost his humanity. |
| 1:09.7 | And? |
| 1:10.6 | Any idea that the Roman Empire creates a really impermeable frontier that holds its own, |
| 1:16.7 | and then all of a sudden breaks down and gives way to a wave of barbarians isn't credible. |
| 1:21.7 | A study reveals the collapse of the Roman Empire may not have been as swift and dramatic as once thought. |
| 1:32.0 | It was supposed to be a game changer for the game of golf as we knew it. |
| 1:35.8 | But five years since its launch is the Saudi investment bubble in the sports set to burst. |
| 1:41.3 | Saudi Arabia is to stop funding the Liv Golf Tour at the end of the season. |
| 1:45.6 | Live was formed as a breakaway from the long-standing PGA tour, offering billions to tempt away |
| 1:50.2 | some leading players in the sport. The tour features some of the biggest names, including John |
| 1:55.3 | Rahm, Phil Mickelson and Bryson Di Chambot. And with millions invested across other sports, |
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