CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE

S'pore athletes stay grounded as Middle East conflict disrupts sports events, travel plans

- David Lee Senior Sports Correspondent

Military attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran, along with the Islamic Republic’s retaliatory strikes on neighbouring Middle East countries, have wreaked havoc in the world of sports, with flight cancellations affecting travel plans and athlete participation.

Following the recently concluded Singapore Smash, the Republic’s table tennis star Izaac Quek was supposed to fly to Paris via Doha on March 1 to compete for French top-tier league side Les Loups d’Angers, but found his Qatar Airways flight cancelled. The 19-year-old has to stay in Singapore to train instead.

He will be in good company as French players such as Thibault Poret, Esteban Dorr and Florian Bourrassaud are caught in the same situation and will train with Singapore players at the OCBC Arena while finding alternative travel arrangements.

It is understood that French brothers Alexis and Felix Lebrun as well as Swedish star Truls Moregard are also training in Singapore, although this was pre-planned to prepare for the March 10-15 WTT Champions Chongqing in China.

Quek said: “It’s unfortunate that this has happened because I want to help my team in the league match.

“But this is a situation beyond our control and safety comes first, so we have to see how things pan out, given the danger and uncertainty, before we decide if it is worth travelling or stay in Singapore to train and focus on other tournaments.”

Meanwhile, the national men’s football team’s plans for the March international window hang in the balance. The Lions have a scheduled centralised training stint in Dubai, where they will also face the Faroe Islands in an international friendly on March 26.