Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lewis Hamilton are among the sports stars whose schedules are in doubt because of the spreading war in the Middle East.
Cancellations and travel shutdowns are already affecting events since the United States and Israel launched a wave of strikes on Iran on Saturday.
Organisers of Formula 1 and major football games will face decisions soon on whether the competitions can go ahead as scheduled.
Middle Eastern nations have become crucial to the world sports landscape over the past decade as event hosts, financial backers and employers for some of the world’s top athletes.
The clock is ticking for a decision on whether to cancel or move the Finalissima football game on March 27 in Qatar between Spain and Argentina, the champions of Europe and South America.
That match would offer Messi a chance to win yet another trophy in a glittering career.
Qatar suspended all football until further notice on Sunday.
Argentina were also scheduled to play Qatar in a friendly on March 31.
“Uefa is monitoring and carefully assessing all developments of the situation in cooperation with CONMEBOL and the [local organising committee],” Uefa said in a statement.
Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr side have already been affected by a wave of cancellations of Asian Champions League games.
His team were scheduled to play on Wednesday in Dubai.
F1 has races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia next month.
F1 and its teams typically start to fly in staff and freight weeks in advance, limiting the time to make a decision on whether to go ahead.
Governing body FIA said its priority was “safety and well-being.” The men’s and women’s tennis tours and golf’s European tour have just finished their Middle East tournament swings and aren’t expected back for months.
The LPGA Tour is playing a golf tournament in China this week, then most of the players will head east back to North America....
