Amnesty International has urged athletes participating in the inaugural Tour of Saudi Arabia in 2020 to use its platform to draw attention to human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia.

The race management of ASO, the owner of the Tour de France, has been criticized by human rights groups, but Amnesty has not gone so far as to call for a boycott of the event, which it criticizes as an example of so-called sportswashing.

"We are not saying that individual athletes or teams should boycott the Saudi Arabia tour. I am saying that if they participate, they should be aware of the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia and be prepared to speak out about it," said Kate Allen, director of Amnesty International UK, in a statement to Cycling News.

The Saudi Tour, which runs from February 4-8, is one of two sporting events ASO will host in Saudi Arabia in early 2020, with the Dakar Rally in January taking place entirely within Saudi Arabia.

ASO refused to answer Cyclingnews' questions about the organization of the Saudi Arabian Tour and declined an opportunity to defend itself against charges that it is involved in efforts to "sportswash" Saudi Arabia's human rights record.

ASO hosted the Tour of Qatar from 2002 to 2016 and the Ladies Tour of Qatar from 2010 to 2016. It also hosted the Tour of Oman, which immediately follows the Tour of Saudi Arabia.

The owner of the Tour de France is one of several sports organizations seeking to bolster their finances by hosting events in Saudi Arabia since the establishment of a sports development fund in Saudi Arabia in late 2016. With this mandate, Saudi Arabia has followed its neighbors Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in actively encouraging the hosting of prestige sporting events to enhance its international reputation.

Saudi Arabia recently hosted golf's PGA European Tour, WWE, motorsports' Race of Champions, and soccer's Italian Super Cup, and in December Anthony Joshua will fight for the heavyweight boxing world title against Andy Lewis Junior and fights in Riyadh.

In the United States, Saudi lobbyists have reportedly met with representatives of the NBA, MLB, and MLS, and there are persistent rumors that a Saudi consortium will buy the Manchester United soccer team.

"This is just the latest high-profile sporting event to set up store in Saudi Arabia and a unique opportunity for Saudi authorities to try to 'sports wash' the country's heavily tarnished image," Allen said of ASO's Saudi tour.

The Saudi Arabian Tour is not the first example of alleged sportswashing in professional cycling. Amnesty used the expression about Israel hosting the start of the 2018 Giro d'Italia, and human rights groups expressed concern about the establishment of the 2016 Bahrain-Merida World Tour team.

"Far from the prestige of events like pro cycling, the decidedly less glamorous reality in Saudi Arabia is a thoroughgoing human rights crackdown in which women's rights activists, lawyers, and members of the Shiite minority community are all being ruthlessly targeted," Allen said.

"There is no justice for the gruesome killing of Jamal Khashoggi, and the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen still continues its indiscriminate attacks on homes, hospitals, and markets.

Despite limited reforms in Saudi Arabia in recent years, including lifting the ban on female drivers, Amnesty International claims that Saudi authorities continue to escalate "the suppression of all forms of dissent, including peaceful expression in support of human rights" .

According to Reporters Without Borders, the number of journalists and citizen journalists detained in Saudi Arabia has tripled since the beginning of 2017, and the organization says the crackdown on the media has intensified since Muhammad bin Salman became crown prince in June of that year.

Cyclingnews has asked ASO, part of the EPA media group that owns L'Équipe, if it can guarantee that Saudi Tour journalists can operate and publish freely without censorship or hindrance, and if ASO can guarantee journalists that their publications and nationality ASO refused to answer.

In Saudi Arabia, it was illegal for women to ride bicycles until 2013, and women were prohibited from participating in soccer matches and other sporting events until 2018, and restrictions remain in place today ASO asked whether women would be allowed to participate in the 2020 Tour of Saudi Arabia The ASO declined to answer questions about whether women would be allowed to participate in the 2020 tour of Saudi Arabia.

In an ASO press release announcing the inaugural Saudi Tour last week, CEO Jan Le Mouner claimed that the race would meet "the demands of riders at the beginning of the year" and was an opportunity to "contribute to the development of cycling throughout the Kingdom."

Travel to Saudi Arabia has been limited to pilgrims, business travelers, and expatriates, but recently tourist visas have been issued.

It is not yet known which teams and athletes will compete in the 2020 Tour of Saudi Arabia, but it is likely that the same teams will compete in Saudi Arabia and the upcoming Tour of Oman. Last year, nine World Tour teams participated in the Tour of Oman.