PARIS: The Davis Cup final between Belgium and Great Britain will still go ahead next weekend despite the International Tennis Federation (ITF) admitting to concerns over the security lockdown in Brussels.
The November 27-29 final is to be staged at the 13,000-capacity Flanders Expo arena in Ghent which lies just 60km to the west of the Belgian capital.
On Saturday, Brussels closed its metro system and shuttered shops and public buildings as a terror alert was raised to its highest level over reports of an "imminent threat" of a gun and bomb attack similar to the horror seen in Paris last week.
Despite the tension in the country, ITF president David Haggerty said Saturday that the Davis Cup final would take place as planned.
"Over the last week, the ITF has been in constant contact with the relevant authorities, the Royal Belgian Tennis Federation, the Lawn Tennis Association and our risk assessment company and this dialogue continues today," said Haggerty in a statement released to AFP.
"We are aware that Belgium has raised the terror alert level for Brussels. This greatly concerns us but, at the present time, we are still continuing with preparations for the final.
"What I said last weekend is true today -- security of players, fans, media and working staff remains our highest priority."
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