An ATP Challenger tennis tournament in the UAE's Fujairah was cancelled on Tuesday after play was interrupted earlier in the day because of drone strikes on nearby oil refineries.The opening round of the World Endurance Championship (WEC), the Qatar 1812km at the end of March, was also postponed "in light of the current and evolving geopolitical situation in the Middle East", the organisers announced.
They are just the latest sporting events to fall victim of the war that has broken out in the Middle East.
This week's Asian Football Confederation club competition matches in the Middle East have already been put off while the Euroleague basketball Under-18 qualifying tournament in Abu Dhabi was abandoned at the weekend.
The England Lions cricket team also arrived home on Tuesday after the cancellation of the rest of their limited-overs series against Pakistan Shaheens in the United Arab Emirates.
At the tennis on Tuesday, falling debris from the interception of a drone caused a fire in an oil field located around 15km (nine miles) from the site of the tournament.
"The safety and wellbeing of our players and tournament personnel is our highest priority," said the ATP.
"Players remain on site and are being fully supported, with accommodation and all immediate needs covered while onward travel arrangements are explored."
A second Challenger event scheduled for Fujairah next week was also cancelled.
A video on social media shows two players, Belarusian Daniil Ostapenkov and Japan's Hayato Matsuoka, scrambling for shelter after a public announcement.
Ten matches in the first round of qualifying for the tournament were completed Monday.
"When I was playing, I heard the sound of the jets flying here and there. And there is smoke here, next to the mountain, so not very safe here right now," said Ukrainian player Vladyslav Orlov on Instagram.
The UAE has been targeted by more than 800 drones and 200 missiles since Saturday, according to its Ministry of Defense.
The US and Israel triggered the rapidly spreading war on Saturday with a strike on Tehran that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several more senior Iranian figures, followed by days of air and missile raids aimed at weakening the remaining government.
But Iran's armed forces responded with missile and drone attacks on Israel, US embassies and military bases and on its Arab neighbours around the Gulf.
