Organisers of the Dakar Rally have confirmed that the 2027 edition of the race will no longer take place in Saudi Arabia. The Amaury Sport Organisation and the Saudi Motorsport Company issued a joint statement on Sunday explaining that the decision follows “recent developments in the region.” The event, which is scheduled for January, will now be held in a different territory that has yet to be identified.
New Location Announcements Pending
A new host country will be revealed in the coming days, according to the statement. The organisers plan to return to Saudi Arabia for the 2028 edition, which is intended to mark the rally’s 50th anniversary. The decision marks a significant shift for the event, which has been hosted in the kingdom since 2020.
Specialist motorsport media reports suggest that Morocco or Spain are being considered as potential new venues. A move to Morocco would be historic, as it would be the first time the Dakar Rally is held on the African continent since 2007. The race originally started in Paris and finished in Dakar, Senegal, before being cancelled in 2008 due to security threats in North Africa. It subsequently moved to South America and later to Saudi Arabia.
Security Concerns Drive Decision
The relocation comes amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. Organisers had previously hoped to keep the 2027 race in Saudi Arabia by designing a new route in the northern part of the country. However, recent security incidents have made this impossible. This month, a series of attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh resulted in 18 deaths and injured hundreds of others.
Fighting between Yemen’s Houthi fighters and government forces has intensified across multiple fronts. The Houthis recently seized strategic territory from forces loyal to the internationally recognised government along the Red Sea coast. These developments have disrupted business, aviation, and daily life in Saudi Arabia, which leads a coalition supporting Yemeni government forces.
Wider Impact on Regional Sports
The Dakar Rally is the latest major sporting event to be moved out of Saudi Arabia this year. The cancellation and relocation of the 2027 race reflect a broader trend affecting international sports in the region due to the ongoing conflict. This season’s Formula One grand prix in Jeddah was cancelled. The race in Bahrain was called off and later rescheduled under the same name in Malaysia.
Other events have also been affected. The final round of the World Rally Championship in Saudi Arabia next month has been scrapped. An exhibition tennis tournament featuring Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Alexander Zverev has been postponed until late December. The WTA Finals, originally scheduled for Riyadh, will now take place at Indian Wells in California.
While the last two Formula One races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi remain on the calendar, they are subject to intense internal debate. The Qatar MotoGP next month is also still scheduled, though the situation remains fluid. The relocation of the Dakar Rally 2027 underscores the ongoing challenges facing large-scale international events in the region as security concerns persist.
Source: Al Jazeera
