Saudi Indoor Martial Arts AG postpones until March next year due to 'Riyadh airstrike aftermath'

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Dae-ho Lee = The 6th Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games (AG), scheduled to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in December this year, has been postponed to March next year.

The competition organizing committee cited 'operational readjustment' as the ostensible reason, but safety concerns following the recent armed attack on Riyadh by Yemen's Houthi rebels are interpreted as the decisive cause.

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the Riyadh Games Organizing Committee announced in an official statement on the 26th that they would change the schedule of the Games from March 28 to April 8, 2027.

The organizing committee stated only that the reason for the postponement was "a measure to review operational and logistics preparations and ensure broad participation from all Asian National Olympic Committees (NOCs) that are eligible to participate."

However, the Houthi rebels' airstrikes that hit Riyadh earlier this month appear to be the actual reason for the schedule change.

The pro-Iranian Houthi rebels launched missile and drone attacks targeting Riyadh International Airport, killing more than 10 people.

Immediately after this incident, the Asian Tour Saudi International Golf Tournament was postponed indefinitely, and major international competitions scheduled to be held in Riyadh, such as the Six Kings Slam tennis tournament and the FIFA e-sports final, were canceled or postponed one after another for safety reasons.

The organizing committee emphasized that regardless of the postponement decision, preparations for the competition and facilities to welcome 4,500 athletes from more than 45 Asian countries are proceeding without a hitch.