18 Dead as Dakar Rally Exits Saudi Arabia

Eighteen people died in this month's strikes on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, a toll that forced organizers to pull the 2027 Dakar Rally from Saudi Arabia.

The Amaury Sport Organisation and the Saudi Motorsport Company announced the change in a statement on Sunday. They cited recent regional developments as the reason for the move. The two groups said the race will happen in a different territory. They promised to name the new host country within days. The rally is scheduled for next January.

Saudi Arabia has hosted the event since 2020. Organizers initially tried to keep the 2027 race in the kingdom by designing a new route in the north. The latest attacks on the airport made that plan unworkable. Specialist race media report that Morocco and Spain are under consideration. A move to Morocco would return the race to Africa for the first time since 2007.

The Dakar began as a race from Paris to Dakar in Senegal. It was canceled in 2008 due to security concerns in North Africa. It later moved to South America before shifting to Saudi Arabia. Organizers want the 2028 edition in Saudi Arabia to mark the rally's 50th running. They confirmed plans to return to the kingdom that year.

The Dakar is the latest major sporting event to leave the region this year. The Formula One grand prix in Jeddah was canceled. The Bahrain race was called off and rescheduled in Malaysia. The final round of the World Rally Championship in Saudi Arabia next month has also been scrapped. An exhibition tennis event featuring Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Alexander Zverev has been postponed until late December. The WTA Finals, originally planned for Riyadh next month, will now be played in Indian Wells, California.

The final two Formula One races of the season remain on the calendar. The Qatar race is set for November 29, and the Abu Dhabi race is set for December 6. The Qatar MotoGP next month is also still scheduled. These three events are reportedly the subject of intense internal debate.

Fighting between government forces and Houthi fighters in Yemen has intensified in recent weeks. The Houthis seized strategic territory along the Red Sea coast last month. This move deepened a humanitarian crisis. Saudi Arabia leads a coalition backing the Yemeni government. The Houthi attacks have disrupted businesses, airlines, and daily life in the kingdom, which is the world's biggest crude oil exporter.