The Alas Pilipinas Men were ready to fly back to Manila before the AVC Nations Cup competition resumed in Bahrain.
The final day of the AVC Nations Cup is pushing through with its final day of competition in Manama, Bahrain despite Middle East tensions on Tuesday with Alas Pilipinas playing their last game in the classification round against New Zealand.
The team was actually ready to return to Manila before organizers decided to push through with the action with one more day left in the competition.
[READ: Alas Pilipinas eye breakthrough win vs New Zealand to avoid winless AVC Nations Cup run]
The AVC had initially postponed the final day of competition on Monday night, after Iran targeted a US military air base in Qatar. Of note that host city Manama is near the Qatari air base said to be the staging area for the US B-52 stealth bombers which struck Iran over the weekend.
But later, AVC President Ramon “Tats” Suzara was assured by host Bahrain of the safety of the competition.
“Following consultations with the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Bahrain Volleyball Association, the AVC has decided to proceed with the Finals today as scheduled,” the AVC said in a statement.
The tensions escalating between Iran, Israel, and the US has caught more of the Middle East in the conflict that has also prompted a temporary closing of the airspace on Monday in Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait as a precaution due to the rising escalation. Citizens of the US and the UK were also ordered to shelter in place.
But the airspace was subsequently re-opened on Tuesday.
As it stands, Alas will be playing their final match of the tournament against New Zealand at 5 p.m. (Manila time).
The Philippines is seeking their first win of the tournament and avoid a winless campaign after losing their first three matches.