Syria halts sports tournaments due to fuel shortages

DAMASCUS — Acute fuel shortages have forced the temporary suspension of all sporting competitions in government-held areas of Syria, local media reported on Wednesday, as the country’s energy woes worsen.

“All sports activities in Syria have been suspended until the end of the year due to the economic crisis,” head of the Syria’s sporting federation Firas Mualla told local media.

Chronic fuel shortages in the war-torn country have intensified in recent weeks, with daily life hampered by nationwide power cuts lasting up to 22 hours per day.

Muhannad Fakir, head of the Syrian football association, told AFP tournaments would not resume until early next year.

“Petrol shortages have made transportation difficult for teams,” he added.

Syria has struggled to meet its fuel needs following more than 11 years of civil war and the imposition of crippling Western sanctions.

The country’s major oil fields lie mostly in areas outside government control.

State institutions have temporarily instated a four-day working week due to the fuel and electricity shortages.

On Sunday, a demonstrator and a policeman were killed in southern Syria’s Sweida as people in the government-held city protested against deteriorating living conditions.

Last week, Syria’s main telecommunications company said some of its call centres were temporarily out of service after running out of fuel to power private generators.

Syria’s civil war has killed nearly half a million people, fragmented the country and ravaged its economy and infrastructure. 

Ninety percent of the population now live below the poverty line and 12.4 million people are food insecure, according to the United Nations.