Dozens of jockeys and the tennis star Daniil Medvedev are among tens of thousands of people stranded in the Gulf while they wait for airspace to reopen, with some of the biggest names in Flat racing now being forced to miss planned rides this week.
Ryan Moore, Oisin Murphy, Marco Ghiani and Stéphane Pasquier were among riders who raced in the Super Saturday meeting at the Meydan Racecourse in Dubai last weekend, and are now being affected by the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran.
As The Times reported on Monday, more than 100,000 people have registered their contact details and locations with the British government in the hope of evacuation, with airspace in the region largely closed because of Iranian drone and missile strikes. The airports in Dubai and Qatar, which operate as major hubs for international travel, have been hit by severe disruption.
Moore was one of the jockeys who raced at Meydan over the weekend
CEDRIC LANE/SHUTTERSTOCK
More than 4,000 flights have been cancelled across the region and Etihad Airways, the national carrier for the UAE, had suspended its services until 2pm local time on Wednesday.
Racing at Super Saturday went ahead against a backdrop of military action, with the Iranian attacks visible from Meydan. These caused fires at the city’s main port as well as damage to the Burj Al Arab and Fairmont The Palm hotels.
In an interview with the Press Association on Sunday, Jamie Osborne, who saddled Heart Of Honor on the Super Saturday card, said he was being forced to abandon short-term plans for racing this week.
“It’s a pretty unique situation to find yourself in, that is for certain,” the trainer said. “Last night was pretty surreal. You’re standing in the paddock watching missiles get shot through the sky.
“This morning it kind of looked like it was escalating as there was lots of banging, then it died down and then this afternoon there’s been a little wave of them.
“I would say the UAE are doing an unbelievably good job of keeping everybody safe. I don’t want anyone to think we’re bunkered down in a basement here. We’re in the Meydan hotel and if you were just sitting here and you were deaf you wouldn’t know anything was happening.”
Osborne said he was safe but had no idea when he would be able to fly home
MIKE EGERTON/PA
Reports have said Dubai international airport has also sustained some damage, with four staff injured, according to the authorities.
“It’s annoying as I’d like to be back at home dealing with everything I should be dealing with at home,” Osborne said. “But we’re stuck here and quite how we get home and when we get home is very much up in the air. It’s very unclear when we’ll be able to fly.”
The England Lions cricket squad and coaching staff which includes Andrew Flintoff and England Test captain Ben Stokes remain in their hotel in Abu Dhabi but their planned fixtures against Pakistan A have been cancelled. They were due to play four 50-over games against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi over the next ten days. The England and Wales Cricket Board said they are working with government officials “to get everyone home as soon as possible”.
England Women and the England A squad were due to fly to the UAE at the end of the week but the ECB also confirmed that they had “ruled out the possibility of the T20 World Cup training camp in Abu Dhabi taking place” and have begun working on finding alternative locations.
Yorkshire County Cricket Club were also due to fly to UAE at the end of the week for their pre-season camp but have confirmed that trip will also not go ahead.
Stokes is part of the coaching staff with the England Lions in Abu Dhabi
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Meanwhile, the former US Open champion Medvedev has indicated that he is one of what the ATP Tour calls a small number of tennis players and team members it is trying to help leave Dubai.
Medvedev’s Instagram account reposted on Monday a report from a Russian-language tennis outlet, Bolshe, which said he was safe and staying at a friend’s apartment in Dubai, after winning the ATP event there last week.
“The health, safety and wellbeing of our players, staff and tournament personnel is our priority. We can confirm that a small number of players and team members remain in Dubai following the conclusion of the recent ATP 500 event,” the ATP Tour said in a statement on Monday.
“They and their teams are being accommodated in the tournament’s official hotels, where their immediate needs are being fully supported.”
Medvedev and others are due to play at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, California, where main-draw matches start Wednesday.
The organisers of the Winter Paralympics in Milan-Cortina have said they are supporting several athletes who are experiencing travel difficulties. Iran has one cross-country skier who is expected to compete at the Games, which start on Friday.
Numerous sports events in the region have shut down, with Asian Champions League soccer games and the Qatari league on hold, while the governing body which oversees Formula 1 said on Monday that it will focus on safety and wellbeing as it considers upcoming races in the region. Grands prix in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are due to take place next month.