The authoritarian country is spending billions on international athletics, from Formula 1 to combat sports, to boost its bottom line and image.

Saudi Arabia 's £390billion mega-city faces fresh chaos as the boss of the flagship Neom project has reportedly been sacked. Nadhmi Al-Nasr "abruptly left" his post at the helm of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's scheme, according to insiders cited by the Wall Street Journal.

Nasr, the long-time chief executive of the $500 billion NEOM mega-project at the heart of Saudi Arabia's drive to diversify away from oil, has departed, NEOM said on Tuesday without giving a reason. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,

Saudi Arabia replaced the executive that was overseeing its plan to build the $1.5 trillion futuristic development known as Neom, in the latest sign that the project is struggling to deliver on its ambitions.

Neom is set to host hyper-futuristic cityscapes and structures — but financial pressures on the kingdom are changing.

Saudi Arabia announced Tuesday that it was replacing the chief executive of its futuristic mega-city NEOM as scepticism mounts over the Gulf kingdom's most ambitious development projects. There has been mounting scepticism over signature projects such as NEOM,