ISTANBUL
France will postpone this year’s G7 summit to avoid a scheduling conflict with a mixed martial arts event planned at the White House on US President Donald Trump's birthday, Politico reported Friday.
Two officials familiar with the planning told the outlet that Paris opted to shift the dates after learning the White House intends to host an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event on June 14.
"On June 14, next year, we're going to have a big UFC fight at the White House, right at the White House grounds," Trump said in Virginia last October.
The date coincides with both US Flag Day and Trump’s 80th birthday.
The G7 summit, originally scheduled for June 14-16, is now set to take place from June 15-17 in Evian-les-Bains, a resort and spa town on the shores of Lake Geneva.
While the French presidency has updated the revised dates on its official website, it has not issued a public explanation for the change.