Paris police chief Laurent Nunez deployed 1,000 law enforcement officers for Thursday's basketball game between Paris and Maccabi Tel Aviv amid concerns of protests over the war in Gaza, but faced an different type of disruption.

PARIS (Reuters) - Police closed off the Adidas Arena ahead of a Euroleague basketball game between Paris and Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday because of a suspicious package outside the stadium.

These protests illustrate an increasing trend toward utilizing high-profile cultural engagements and sporting events to advance political causes.

Madrid on Tuesday to oppose the arrival of the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team, accusing Israel of using sports to distract from its human rights violation

Real Madrid and Maccabi Tel Aviv made history last night in the round 21 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. The thrilling match ended 116-113, wich total 229 points, making it the largest ever result in EuroLeague history (without added time).

Police closed off the Adidas Arena ahead of a Euroleague basketball game between Paris and Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday because of a suspicious package outside the stadium.