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PTWPT Prime Cyprus Championship Postponed Amid Iran Conflict
Summary:
- The $1,100 WPT Prime Cyprus Championship will no longer take place due to rising tensions from U.S.-Israel airstrikes in Iran.
- Staff travel and safety concerns make hosting the tournament in Cyprus, less than 800 miles from Iran, risky.
- A replacement $1,100 buy-in event will run in its place; rescheduled dates for the main event are pending.
The World Poker Tour has been forced to postpone its $1,100 WPT Prime Cyprus Championship, a $1 million guaranteed poker tournament, due to the war in Iran.
Challenging and Potentially Dangerous
Cyprus, an island country located in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, is less than 800 miles from the Iran border. The United States and Israel, in a coordinated effort, launched military airstrikes on February 28 that targeted military installations, intelligence offices, and security infrastructure, and has led to the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Prime event at Chamada Prestige Hotel & Spa was scheduled to run from March 5-9. But, as the WPT’s X account announced on Tuesday, the military conflict has made hosting the event difficult.
As such, it will be postponed and rescheduled “at a later date“. Sending staff members, most of whom reside in the U.S., to Cyprus, a popular poker destination that often hosts major events such as the WPT and Triton Poker, is quite the challenge and potentially dangerous.
$1,100 Buy-In Tournament to Replace Prime Event
However, the remainder of the festival will continue as planned. A separate $1,100 buy-in tournament will be added to the schedule to replace the WPT Prime event.
The WPT advises,
As this situation continues to develop, we encourage all players planning to travel to Cyprus to remain in contact with their respective airlines, follow updates from official sources, and stay informed so they can make the best decisions based on the most current information available.
This is the second poker event cancelled or postponed due to the conflict in Iran. The Mixed Game Festival at Resorts World in Las Vegas, scheduled to begin next week, has been cancelled due to the event’s host, Robbie Strazynski, an Israeli, being unable to travel to the U.S.
The next major WPT event will take place on March 29 in Northern California with the $3,500 buy-in WPT Rolling Thunder Championship. It’s unclear at this time when the Cyprus tournament will be rescheduled.
