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UEFA Asked to Remove Turkey as Champions League Final Host

The Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul. (Getty Images)
The Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul. (Getty Images)
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UEFA Asked to Remove Turkey as Champions League Final Host

The Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul. (Getty Images)
The Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul. (Getty Images)

UEFA has been asked to consider moving this season's Champions League final out of Istanbul because of Turkey's military action in Syria.

UEFA declined to comment Wednesday about a letter sent from the Italian sports minister questioning if it was appropriate to continue letting Turkey host the biggest club game in world football in May.

"We know well that the seriousness of what is happening in Syria will not be resolved with this act but we are all aware of the importance (political, media, economic, cultural) that belongs to one of the most important sporting events in the world," the letter states, according to Italian news agency ANSA.

The Ataturk Olympic Stadium was picked by UEFA last year over the Stadium of Light in Lisbon, Portugal.

UEFA vice president Michele Uva told an Italian radio station it was "absolutely premature to talk about sanctions," though the situation would be evaluated by the European football body's executive committee. It next meets on December 4.

Istanbul already hosted the UEFA Super Cup this season. Champions League winner Liverpool beat Chelsea, the Europa League title holder, in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw.

Since Turkey began a military offensive in northeast Syria last week, national team athletes from the country have made salute gestures at sports events.

UEFA asked its investigators on Tuesday to assess if the Turkish football federation should be charged in a disciplinary case. Salutes made by Turkey players after European Championship qualifying games against Albania and France in the past week could breach rules prohibiting political statements at stadiums.

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'World's Oldest Marathon Runner' Dies Aged 114 in Road Accident

(FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)
(FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)
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'World's Oldest Marathon Runner' Dies Aged 114 in Road Accident

(FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)
(FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)

India's Fauja Singh, believed to be the world's oldest distance runner, has died in a road accident aged 114, his biographer said Tuesday.

Singh, an Indian-born British national, nicknamed the "Turbaned Tornado", died after being hit by a vehicle in Punjab state's Jalandhar district on Monday, AFP reported.

"My Turbaned Tornado is no more," Fauja's biographer Khushwant Singh wrote on X.

"He was struck by an unidentified vehicle... in his village, Bias, while crossing the road. Rest in peace, my dear Fauja."

Singh did not have a birth certificate but his family said he was born on April 1, 1911.

He ran full marathons (42 kilometer) till the age of 100.

His last race was a 10-kilometer (six-mile) event at the 2013 Hong Kong Marathon when 101, where he finished in one hour, 32 minutes and 28 seconds.

He became an international sensation after taking up distance running at the ripe old age of 89, after the death of his wife and one of his sons, inspired by seeing marathons on television.

Although widely regarded as the world's oldest marathon runner, he was not certified by Guinness World Records as he could not prove his age, saying that birth certificates did not exist when he was born under British colonial rule in 2011.

Singh was a torchbearer for the Olympics at Athens 2004 and London 2012, and appeared in advertisements with sports stars such as David Beckham and Muhammad Ali.

His strength and vitality were credited to a routine of farm walks and a diet including Indian sweet "laddu" packed with dry fruits and home-churned curd.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute on social media.

"Fauja Singh was extraordinary because of his unique persona and the manner in which he inspired the youth of India on a very important topic of fitness," said Modi on X.

"He was an exceptional athlete with incredible determination. Pained by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and countless admirers around the world."