ICC activates contingency plans for stakeholders' safety

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is closely monitoring the evolving situation in the Middle East and has activated comprehensive contingency plans to safeguard the travel, logistics and well-being of all stakeholders associated with the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, currently underway in India and Sri Lanka, it said in a media release on Saturday.

While the crisis in the Middle East has no direct bearing on the conduct of the tournament, the ICC acknowledges that a significant number of personnel -- including players, team management, match officials, broadcast teams, and event staff -- rely on Gulf hub airports, particularly Dubai (DXB), as key transit points for onward travel to their home countries upon concluding their commitments at the event.

The global cricket body said it has taken a couple of initiatives to mitigate the safety. well-being and travel of stakeholders. Following are the initiatives:

*The ICC Travel and Logistics team is actively working with major international carriers to identify and secure alternative routing options, including connections through European, South Asian and South-East Asian hubs.

*The ICC security consultants are liaising with relevant authorities and will provide real-time advisories as the situation develops. A dedicated ICC Travel Support Desk has also been activated.