Water polo-2024 European championships in Israel called off

European Aquatics has called off the continental water polo championships scheduled to take place in Israel in January because of the Israel-Hamas conflict, the ruling body said in a statement on Thursday.

The event, in the city of Netanya, north of Tel Aviv, was cancelled after meetings with the Israeli Water Polo Association.

"...both institutions have agreed that it will be impossible to host the European Water Polo Championships in Netanya, Israel, as planned in January 2024," European Aquatics said.

European Aquatics said it was looking for other options for how teams could qualify for the World Water Polo Championships in Doha in February.

The conflict in Israel began on Oct. 7.