Doha: The Indian men’s national basketball team, stranded in Doha due to West Asia turmoil, could return home through an alternate route via Riyadh if airspace restrictions in the Middle East continue, said team manager Sajid Rahman to IANS on Thursday.
The Indian contingent, currently in Doha after travelling for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers, has been unable to proceed with its schedule or return home due to the closure of regional airspace due to the US-Israel attack on Iran.
Rahman, who also serves as General Secretary of the Assam Basketball Association, said officials from the Basketball Federation of India and the Indian embassy are exploring contingency plans while monitoring the situation.
“The airspace is not open for another 2-3 days. We might go back to India, via Riyadh. We may go to Riyadh, and then from Riyadh to India. They are planning to do this as an alternative way to return to India,” Rahman told IANS.
The team had originally planned to travel to Lebanon for their next match, but the sudden escalation in the region forced them to remain in their hotel.
“On the 28th, we were supposed to go to Lebanon for the match. All of a sudden, the attack happened, so we had to stay in the hotel. From the embassy side and from the BFI (the Basketball Federation of India), they have made all the arrangements for the safety and security of our players. And we are in the hotel itself from the 28th till now.”
Rahman added that regular communication has been maintained between the team management, the federation and Indian diplomatic officials in Qatar.
“Today we had a meeting with the BFI, our federation, and the BFI is also in touch with the embassy here in Qatar. The embassy person came yesterday, we had a meeting with them,” he said.
If the airspace closure continues, the Indian squad could be required to travel by road for several hundred kilometres before catching a flight from Riyadh.
“We might have to take this longer route if the airspace doesn’t open. But the BFI president and secretary are thinking about security and all the arrangements on the way, since we are going to travel about 500 kilometres. So what security measures do they need to provide us, they are thinking of working it out,” he stated.
However, Rahman indicated that the plan would only be implemented if the current restrictions remain in place. “Otherwise, if everything goes well, we will go through Riyadh.”
Despite the disruption, Rahman said the postponed fixture will not impact the team’s campaign in the qualifiers. “The cancellation of the match won’t affect the team, as it will be rescheduled. We don’t have any information on the date yet, but we’ll communicate it to BFI once there’s a call about it,” he concluded.
(IANS)
