Mideast clashes breach Olympic truce as athletes gather for Winter Paralympic Games

"They got on their flight from Doha to Venice and the flight turned around. Milton said his wife and two teenage children spent 24 hours stranded in the airport before being given a hotel room. They would love to get out of Doha and get to Italy, but there's no timeline on that."

"The tradition of Olympic truces dates back to ninth century BC, when Greek rulers suspended some conflicts so that athletes could compete in sacred Games. The concept was revived by Olympic officials and the United Nations in the early 1990s, as bitter conflicts raged in the Balkans."

"Military conflicts have often irrupted despite the truces. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, just as the Winter Paralympic Games were set to begin in Beijing."

Military conflicts between Israel, the United States, and Iran breached the symbolic Olympic truce approved by the United Nations, which called for suspension of all military activity until March 15. Over 660 elite Paralympic athletes from around the world, including representatives from Iran, Israel, and the U.S., gathered in Italy for the Winter Paralympic Games despite ongoing fighting. The conflict disrupted air traffic, leaving at least one athlete's family stranded in Doha, Qatar. The Olympic truce tradition dates to the ninth century BC when Greek rulers suspended conflicts for sacred Games. The concept was revived in the early 1990s during Balkan conflicts but has been repeatedly violated, including Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine during the Beijing Winter Paralympics.

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