The horrific ongoing military conflict in the Middle East is impacting countless lives throughout the region as well as international travel and commerce, including a growing number of sporting events.
Stranded tennis players at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships were provided additional shelter in the UAE as Iran continued its onslaught in retaliation for the joint US-Israeli strikes throughout the Islamic Republic.
Meanwhile, the Formula One world championship has several upcoming events in the region and Iran’s national men’s soccer team’s status for this summer’s World Cup is suddenly in jeopardy.
Sports apparel giant Fanatics is less than three weeks away from holding a flag football game in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Now, though, that Tom Brady-headlined event appears destined to be relocated, delayed or both, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
An official decision has not been made, but the game is set for March 21, giving organizers less than three weeks to come up with an alternative plan.
The event was billed as Brady’s ‘return to football,’ four years after his official retirement from the NFL. Other players who were named as participants include Saquon Barkley, CeeDee Lamb, Christian McCaffrey, Sauce Gardner, Myles Garrett, Brock Bowers, Maxx Crosby, Tyreek Hill, Odell Beckham Jr. and Brady’s long-time teammate, Rob Gronkowski.
Tom Brady speaks during a promotion for a flag football game scheduled for Saudi Arabia
The flag football game is scheduled to be played at Kingdom Arena (pictured) on March 21
The round-robin tournament was modeled after the Olympic-style flag football rules that will be used as the sport makes its debut at the upcoming Los Angeles Summer Games.
While the current and former NFL stars await word on their flag-football event, three former WNBA players are trying to find their way out of Israel.
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley revealed that the school is working bring a trio of former Gamecocks – Tiffany Mitchell, Destiny Littleton and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan – back to the US.
‘Please pray for our @GamecockWBB @TiffMitch25 @2121Mikiah @dstnylttltn24 who are in a war zone in Israel,’ Staley wrote on X. ‘We are working a plan to get home. Let us pray for our loved ones to return home safely asap! Thank you in advance.’
Amid the violence, which has already claimed hundreds of lives, hundreds of thousands of travelers are struggling to return home. The conflict has resulted in closures at key airports in the UAE, as well as other important traffic hubs in the Middle East and North Africa.
Roughly 2,800 flights were canceled Sunday across the Middle East, according to reports.
