Sports Travel Impacted By War In Middle East

Sports travel is feeling the fallout as the war in the Middle East expands.

Qatar suspended all soccer games until further notice, which could impact a scheduled friendly on March 31 between Argentina and Qatar. Argentina, the reigning World Cup champions, is also supposed to play Spain four days earlier in Qatar in Finalissima, a match between the top clubs in Europe and South America.

Iran has already said its ability to participate in this year’s World Cup is now in doubt, though no determinations have yet been made.

“What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” Mehdi Taj, the president of the country’s soccer federation, told Varzesh3

The ATP Tour held an event in Dubai that concluded Saturday, and players and officials associated with the event are having some difficulty leaving the region. The Associated Press reported that Daniil Medvedev, who won the men’s singles portion of the event, is getting help from the Tour to get out of the city, which is in the United Arab Emirates.

“The health, safety and wellbeing of our players, staff and tournament personnel is our priority. We can confirm that a small number of players and team members remain in Dubai following the conclusion of the recent ATP 500 event,” the ATP Tour said in a statement Monday. “They and their teams are being accommodated in the tournament’s official hotels, where their immediate needs are being fully supported.”

The governing body that oversees Formula 1 said its focus is on “safety and wellbeing” but has not yet announced any changes to its schedule, which includes April races in Middle Eastern countries Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Teams based in Europe were scheduled to head to Melbourne for next weekend’s race, with many having to travel through or stop in the Middle East, causing several to adjust their plans.

Similarly, airlines such as Air France-KLM, British Airways, Emirates and Etihad stopped flights to destinations in the middle of the conflict.

Other sports, including cricket and basketball, have also been impacted in the region. The Paralympics are scheduled to go on in Italy starting March 6 and lasting for 10 days, and officials said they do not anticipate major disruptions as most athletes and coaches are already in the country.

The United States and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday morning, and the conflict has since spread as Iran retaliated with strikes against U.S. bases in the region, including Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait.