Dakar Rally organizers move 2027 race from Saudi Arabia

The Dakar Rally has shifted its 2027 edition away from Saudi Arabia, the event's organizers announced on Sunday. The Amaury Sport Organisation and the Saudi Motorsport Company stated in a joint release that the race will take place in a different territory. They said the specific location will be announced in the coming days. The bodies also confirmed a planned return to the kingdom for the 2028 race.

The decision follows a series of attacks this month on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Those strikes killed 18 people and injured hundreds more. Organizers had previously tried to save the 2027 event by designing a new route in the northern part of the country. The latest violence made that plan impossible. The rally is scheduled to start in January.

Specialist race media reported that Morocco and Spain are being considered as replacement hosts. A move to Morocco would return the event to Africa for the first time since 2007. Saudi Arabia has hosted the race since 2020. The organizers want the 2028 edition in the kingdom to mark the rally's 50th running.

The Dakar is one of several major sporting events to leave Saudi Arabia this year due to the US-Israel war on Iran and Houthi attacks. The Formula One grand prix in Jeddah was cancelled, and the Bahrain race was rescheduled in Malaysia. The final round of the World Rally Championship in Saudi Arabia next month has also been scrapped. An exhibition tennis event featuring Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev has been postponed until late December. The WTA Finals, originally planned for Riyadh next month, will be played in Indian Wells, California.

The final two Formula One races of the season remain on the calendar. The race in Qatar is set for November 29, and the race in Abu Dhabi is set for December 6. The Qatar MotoGP race next month is also still scheduled. Reporters said all three events are the subject of intense internal debate regarding their safety.

In Yemen, fighting between government forces and Houthi fighters has intensified on several fronts in recent weeks. The war escalated sharply last month when the Houthis seized strategic territory along the Red Sea coast. Saudi Arabia leads a coalition backing the Yemeni government forces. The Houthi attacks have disrupted businesses, airlines and daily life in the world's biggest crude oil exporter.