World Athletics postpones Doha Diamond League amid US-Israel war on Iran

World Athletics postpones Doha-diamond-league" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="103789" data-entity-type="event">Doha Diamond League amid US-Israel war on IranThe multi-discipline event scheduled for May 8 will now be held on June 19 should conditions allow, organisers say.World Athletics has postponed its season-opening event in Qatar’s capital, Doha, due to concerns for “player and spectator safety” as the US-Israel war on Iran continues to affect the Middle East.The Doha-diamond-league" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="103789" data-entity-type="event">Doha Diamond League has been rescheduled from May 8 to June 19, conditional on the safety and security situation in the region, World Athletics said in a statement on Wednesday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4‘An incredible feeling’: Turkiye celebrates ending 24-year World Cup waitlist 2 of 4‘Take me to America’: Bosnian joy as the Dragons take off for the World Cuplist 3 of 4Iranian women footballers reveal ‘enormous pressure’ of the Asian Cup sagalist 4 of 4Will Arteta’s emotional intensity drive Arsenal to glory or another choke?end of list“In the interests of athlete and spectator safety, a decision has been taken to postpone the meeting,” the global governing body for athletics said, adding that the event will go ahead on the new date “should conditions allow”.The Diamond League said it had been “monitoring the situation in Doha” in recent weeks and was “working in close coordination with meeting organisers, Qatari authorities and other stakeholders”.While Iran and the United States accepted a two-week ceasefire deal – mediated by Pakistan – Gulf states continued to intercept missile and drone attacks on their territories.Qatar’s Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday that it intercepted a missile attack in the hours leading up to the ceasefire announcement, and the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain reported strikes after news of the ceasefire was confirmed.The organisers said they would continue to monitor developments in the Middle East in the coming weeks to deliver “the highest level of safe and secure competition for athletes, media and spectators”.The Doha meeting was originally scheduled to take place at the Qatar-sports-club" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="111041" data-entity-type="location">Qatar Sports Club as the opening event of the 2026 Wanda Diamond League season, but will now be held at the Khalifa International Stadium, a temperature-regulated venue with air cooling vents.