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The conflict escalation in the Middle East is impacting the arrival of some delegations and other stakeholders to the Milan/Cortina Paralympics, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said in a statement on Monday.
The IPC said that "closure of airspace in the Middle East is impacting the arrival of some stakeholders" but that it would not comment on the status of individual delegations or stakeholders at this stage.
It stressed, however, that it's "working diligently" with organizers to find solutions for those affected.
The opening ceremony is scheduled for Friday in Verona. However, due to the attacks launched against Iran by the United States and Israel, and Iranian counterattacks, air traffic in large parts of the region has mostly came to a standstill.
The IPC said that it's "closely monitoring" the situation and assessing the available information to determine the impact on the Paralympics.
"We recognize this situation affects not just the National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) competing at the Games but also our wider membership. We think of the impact on people first and our thoughts are with those affected," it said.
The Paralympic Games are scheduled to take place from Friday until March 15.