Diamond League organizers said on Wednesday that the series-opening meet in Doha would be moved to June 19 in the wake of escalating conflict in the Middle East. The event was originally scheduled for May 8 at the Qatar Sports Club.
“In recent weeks, the Diamond League has been monitoring the situation in Doha, working in close coordination with meeting organizers, Qatari authorities and other stakeholders,” league official said in a statement. “In the interests of athlete and spectator safety, a decision has now been taken to postpone the meeting.”
The rescheduled meet will be held at Khalifa International Stadium due to expected high temperatures in the region. The facility is equipped with outdoor cooling technology.
Moving the event means that it will not fall between the Bislett Games in Oslo on June 10 and the Meeting de Paris on June 28, with Doha now being the eighth meet in the series.
In late March, officials initially confirmed that the meet would still proceed as planned event as other high profile events, like two Formula 1 races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia on April 12 and 19 were canceled due to security concerns from the Iran War.
The conflict, which is a joint effort between the United States and Israel, began in late February with airstrikes that targeted cities in Iran.
But Iran quickly responded with missile and drone strikes at Israel and U.S. installations in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar while compromised shipping routes along the Strait of Hormuz have impacted global supply chains.
Yesterday, the U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire so ships and oil tankers could pass through the region.
Iran has proposed a roughly $2 million fee per ship and would use the funds to rebuild parts of its cities that were damaged by the airstrikes. It would also divide the proceeds with Oman, which is on the other side of the strait.
The U.S. Department of State has advised that travel to Qatar be strongly reconsidered and the British government has also issued similar recommendations to its citizens.
“The Diamond League will continue to monitor developments in the Middle East in the coming weeks,” organizer also said in Wednesday’s notice. “The series and meeting organizers remain committed to delivering the highest level of safe and secure competition for athletes, media and spectators.”
