World Athletics has postponed its season-opening event in Qatar's capital, Doha, due to concerns for player and spectator safety as the US-Israel war on Iran continues to affect the Middle East.
The scheduled Saturday contest between the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves was postponed and pushed back to Sunday afternoon. The NBA cited safety concerns as the reason for the schedule adjustment. The decision was made to prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community, the NBA said in its announcement. Earlier Saturday, federal immigration agents in Minnesota shot and killed a man, according to multiple news outlets. Multiple shootings involving federal agents in recent weeks have raised tensions in Minneapolis and nearby St Paul.
Poor air quality in the area is common in November and December, with historical fine particulate air quality numbers spiking to nearly 300 parts per million (ppm) annually since 2015. Winter-time inversions lead to the buildup of pollutants around the New Delhi area, which has a population of over 30 million people. Several factors combine to increase the number of pollutants in the air, including farmers burning their fields in preparation for the spring.