NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
The Israel national gymnastics team has suspended all training and activities due to the recent Iranian counterattack against the country following the US-backed strikes against Iran.
The Israel Gymnastics Federation (IGF) provided a statement to PK Press Club Digital announcing that the violence had caused “unavoidable disruption.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
“The current security situation in our region has led to unavoidable disruptions to our regular training schedule and has created significant uncertainty regarding the professional plans of the national teams, especially as we are at the start of the international season,” the statement said.
“At this time, all training activities have been temporarily suspended, pending approval from the relevant authorities to safely resume operations. Naturally, the suspension of training and closure of airspace causes considerable stress and worry. However, the safety and well-being of our gymnasts and professional staff remains our highest priority. We sincerely look forward to safer and calmer days ahead, when we can focus solely on the sport.”
A source within the team told PK Press Club Digital on Saturday that the gymnasts had been moving between bomb shelters since the Iranian counterattacks began.
The Israeli gymnastics team is considered one of the country’s most successful Olympic programs, alongside its judo and sailing teams. The team is just a week away from a successful trip to the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Germany, where national star Artem Dolgopyat won the gold medal in floor gymnastics.
From now on, the team will have to get to safety until the attacks end.
The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has ordered all U.S. government employees and their family members to continue to shelter in place, either in or near their residences, as Iran continues to shoot missiles on Israel.
Additionally, the embassy announced that due to the security situation, it would be closed on March 2, and did not give an estimate on when it would reopen. The closure concerns the consular sections in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
The embassy also said it was “not in a position at this time to evacuate or directly assist Americans in leaving Israel.” He noted that Ben Gurion Airport remained closed and no commercial or charter flights were operating from the airport.
Friday, before the launch of Operation Epic Fury, the embassy gave everything non-essential workers permission to leave Israel, with reports that US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee urged those considering leaving to do so as soon as possible.
Iranian airstrikes killed at least eight Israelis on Sunday as Tehran’s latest barrage of missiles landed just miles from Jerusalem.
The strikes hit 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 services.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PK Press Club APP
The Iranian army led counterattacks against Israel and U.S. bases in the Middle East after a joint U.S.-Israeli strike killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday.
The strikes also killed several other senior Iranian leaders, including the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
