NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
Israel’s national gymnastics team has suspended all training and team activities amid the recent Iranian counterattack on the country following the US-backed attacks on Iran.
The Israel Gymnastics Federation (IGF) issued a statement to Pakinomist Digital announcing that the violence has caused “unavoidable disruption.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
“The current security situation in our region has resulted in unavoidable disruptions to our regular training schedule and has created significant uncertainty around the national teams’ professional plans, especially as we are at the start of the international season,” the statement read.
“At this time, all training activities are temporarily suspended, pending approval from the relevant authorities to safely resume operations. Naturally, the suspension of training and the closure of the airspace causes great stress and concern. However, the safety and well-being of our gymnasts and professional staff remains our highest priority. We sincerely hope for a safe and calm head on a calmer sports day.”
A team source told Pakinomist Digital on Saturday that the gymnasts have been moving between bomb shelters since Iran’s counterattack began.
Israel’s gymnastics team is considered one of the country’s strongest Olympic programs, along with its judo and sailing teams. The team is just one week removed from a successful trip at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Germany, where the country’s star Artem Dolgopyat won the gold medal in floor gymnastics.
Now the team must seek safety until the attacks are over.
The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has instructed all U.S. government employees and their family members to continue sheltering in place either in or near their residences as Iran continues to fire missiles against Israel.
In addition, the embassy announced that due to the security situation it would be closed on March 2 and did not give an estimate of when it would reopen. The closure includes consular offices in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
The embassy also said it is “not in a position at this time to evacuate or directly assist Americans to leave Israel.” It noted that Ben Gurion Airport remains closed and there are neither commercial nor charter flights operating from the airport.
On Friday, ahead of the launch of Operation Epic Fury, the embassy gave its all non-essential workers permission to leave Israel, with reports that US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee urged those wishing to leave to do so as soon as possible.
Iranian airstrikes killed at least eight Israelis on Sunday as Tehran’s latest missile barrage landed just kilometers from Jerusalem.
The attacks landed in the Israeli town of Beit Shemesh. Initial reports said four people were killed when missiles landed in a residential area on Sunday, but the death toll rose to eight, according to Israel’s national emergency service.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
Iran’s military has carried out counterstrikes against Israel and US bases in the Middle East after a joint US-Israel strike killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.
The attacks also killed several other top Iranian leaders, including the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
