Middle Eastern athletes and officials stranded in Indonesia due to regional conflict

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian National Fencing Association (PB IKASI) has reported that numerous athletes, officials, and federation executives from Middle Eastern countries remain stranded in Indonesia following the Asian Cadet and Junior Fencing Championship in Jakarta, due to conflict in the region.

“Their scheduled departure was Sunday, 1 March 2026, but those already at Soekarno-Hatta Airport were unable to depart because there are no flights due to the impact of the war between Iran, the United States, and Israel,” said PB IKASI Secretary-General Firtian Judiswandarta in an official statement in Jakarta on Monday.

Judiswandarta explained that the stranded championship participants consist of 23 athletes from Saudi Arabia, five athletes and officials from Qatar, as well as two federation officials from Iraq and Uzbekistan.

However, the planned departure could not be realised. As the athletes and officials prepared to return through Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Banten, several international flight routes to the Middle East were closed.

The airspace closure resulted from escalating conflict following Israeli and American air strikes on Iran on Saturday, 28 February.

Judiswandarta stated that his organisation could not yet confirm when all the athletes, officials, and fencing federation officials stranded in Indonesia could return to their home countries, given the unstable security and international flight situation.

“It appears they will remain in Indonesia until the war ends,” he said.