VIDEO: Saudi king sacks country's head of entertainment after event featured female performers in tight costumes
20th June 2018
Saudi Arabia's king has reportedly sacked the head of the country's entertainment authority after conservative citizens critized a Russian circus show that featured female performers in tight costumes.
King Salman issued the royal decree relieving Ahmed al-Khatib of his post as head of the General Entertainment Authority.
Semi-official newspaper Sabq reported that Ahmed was fired because of a public backlash over the Russian Triumph Circus on Ice event in the capital, Riyadh.
An Arabic hashtag on Twitter that translates as 'Naked Russian Women in Riyadh' was trending in Saudi Arabia over the weekend with many blasting the appearance of the Russian female performers, including a trapeze artist, in body-hugging leotards.
According to the entertainment authority's ticketing website, the circus was scheduled to run for five days and it's meant to coincide with the presence of the Saudi national team at the World Cup in Russia,
It's yet unclear if the shows had been cancelled.
Watch video of the women performing below.