The International Rugby Board (IRB) has decided to remove Dubai from the World Sevens Series this year over concerns about traveling to the emirate during US air strikes, organizers said Tuesday, cited by AFP.
The IRB consulted with several unions before dropping the three-day tournament from November 7 to 9 which was to have launched the International Rugby Board's 2001/02 series.
The World Sevens Series will now begin the following weekend in South Africa, they said.
However, an event will still take place in Dubai.
"We are heartened that a number of unions have expressed a wish that they still want to compete in an international tournament in Dubai," said Gary Chapman, Chief Director Support and Development for sponsors Emirates Airline.
"Everyone involved in the Dubai Rugby Seven's over the last 32 years has worked hard to elevate the event to the level it is at today and we are confident it will continue to be one of the world's top rugby spectacles."
"We are still expecting over 100 teams and over 1,000 players to take part in the Dubai Rugby 7's in the various tournaments that run alongside the main international event. We will remain in close contact with the international unions," Chapman added.
On Tuesday, the Swedish subsidiary of British air charter company Britannia Airways said Monday its flights would no longer stop over in the United Arab Emirates because its passengers refused to land in an Arab country, according to AFP.
The decision was made because of "worries from numerous clients regarding the risks they faced in Arab countries" as international tensions heightened around the US military strikes on Afghanistan, the subsidiary's manager, Goeran Gaardoe, told Swedish state television.
The developments came as leaders of the Gulf state insist that the terror crisis and the subsequent US-led war against Afghanistan have and will not affect the country, a trade and telecom hub in the region.
Dubai Crown Prince and UAE’s Defense Minister Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum have issued orders that all commercial and social activities in the country should proceed smoothly because the country is not in state of war, he said.
This week, two big international events kicked off in Dubai: GITEX 2001 telecom expo and STARS charity summit aimed at helping world children – Albawaba.com
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