Asian Tour ‘closely monitoring’ situation in Saudi Arabia after deadly attacks
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Oct 13 : Golf’s Asian Tour said on Tuesday that it is monitoring the security situation in Saudi Arabia ahead of the Saudi International in Riyadh in November, as a series of attacks threaten to disrupt sport in the kingdom.
A strike on Riyadh’s international airport on Saturday killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 300, with Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement claiming responsibility for the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.
On Sunday, one more person was killed and nearly a dozen hurt in another attack on the airport, with airlines cancelling flights to Saudi Arabia and neighbouring countries.
The PIF Saudi International, which serves as the Asian Tour’s season-closer, is scheduled to take place at the Riyadh Golf Club from November 18 to 21.
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“The Asian Tour is closely monitoring the situation in Saudi Arabia and we are discussing the developing situation with our partner Golf Saudi with respect to hosting the PIF Saudi International in Riyadh in November,” the circuit told Reuters in a statement.
“Any changes to the schedule will be announced as soon as we have determined the right course of action for our players, fans and partners.
“The PIF Saudi International is incredibly important to the Asian Tour as our season finale, however the safety of our players, staff and service teams is always our number one priority.”
The disruptions could affect Saudi Arabia’s sporting calendar, with the kingdom having become a major venue after investing huge amounts of money into sports including soccer, Formula One, tennis and golf.
SAUDI TO HOST ASIAN CUP IN 2027
Saudi Arabia is also set to stage the Asian Cup in soccer for the first time in 2027, a key stress test ahead of the kingdom’s hosting of the 2034 World Cup.
The Asian Cup will run from January 7 to February 5 and will feature 24 teams, with five of the eight venues for the continental soccer tournament located in Riyadh.
On Tuesday, Football Australia (FA) said its “experienced security team” was also monitoring the situation.
“Risk assessment is part of our planning for every national team camp, and it will be a key focus of our preparations for January,” FA added in a statement.
“We remain in regular contact with Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) and will continue our dialogue with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) regarding its plans for the tournament, guided by the advice of the Australian Government.”
The attacks have not brought sport to a halt in Saudi Arabia just yet, however, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr beating Uzbekistan’s Neftchi 3-1 in an AFC Champions League Elite match in Riyadh on Monday.
The game was delayed by an hour because of a safety warning issued by Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defence 15 minutes before the scheduled start time.
Elsewhere, boxing promoter Turki Al-Sheikh has said that Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has promised to fight in Riyadh at the end of October “no matter what happens”, with the Mexican set to take on Christian M’billi in a world title bout.
Source: Reuters
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