The head of TKO says that its events are moving forward despite Saudi Arabia being a targeted area.
Ari Emanuel appeared on Fox News to promote his memoir and was asked about the attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis, including an attack on Riyadh International Airport.
Right now, everything’s still set. This weekend coming up in Abu Dhabi, we have a UFC fight. We have, in the middle of November, a Frieze art show. So far, so good. Nothing has been cancelled.
Emanuel didn’t offer details regarding the decision to move forward with the events. WWE’s Crown Jewel event is scheduled for November 7 in Riyadh and represents approximately $45-50 million in contribution to TKO’s fourth quarter.
We have a whole team working on this, and if that doesn’t happen, we can move it, it’s a daily monitoring.
The U.S. Department of State Consular Affairs provided a security alert on Monday and warned of potential targets in the country:
Iran and groups supportive of Iran may target other U.S. interests overseas or at locations associated with the United States and Americans throughout the world, including U.S. businesses and other institutions.
The U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia has ordered “non-essential staff” to exit the country amid the attacks. Several major events have been postponed due to the attacks, including the Davos in the Desert conference and the Six Kings Slam tennis exhibition tournament.
Crown Jewel represents WWE’s third show in the country this year, with Saudi Arabia scheduled to host WrestleMania 43 next year.
