Australia on Friday pulled out of several upcoming FIH tournaments, including the Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup to be held in India later this year, citing COVID-19 related government travel restrictions. The Junior Men’s World Cup is to be held in November-December this year. The location is yet to be confirmed.
Hockey Australia also announced that Tokyo Olympics silver medalists and their Trans-Tasman rival New Zealand will also skip Season 3 of the Pro League, which begins next month. “Australia and New Zealand will not participate in Season 3 of the FIH Pro League (starting in October 2021) due to COVID related government travel restrictions and uncertainty in both countries,” HA said in a statement.
“All participating countries and the FIH Pro League Council agreed that it was untenable for international teams to travel to Australia and New Zealand, as well as for Australian and New Zealand teams to play overseas and return without quarantine. ,” it added. Australia and New Zealand have strict COVID-19 quarantine restrictions, making it difficult for them to host other teams.
Michael Johnston, acting CEO of HA, said: “Based on the risk assessment and current Australian Government health advice, Hockey Australia is not considering overseas hockey-related visits at this time. The decision on our absence from the FIH Pro League was a collective one. Agreed by all countries primarily based on the difficulty of other countries or the inability to travel into Australia and New Zealand.
“It is clear in Australia that the easing of international travel restrictions is still a way out and no competing country wanted to enter the next Pro League season without any assurances,” he said. Apart from tournaments in India and the Pro League, Australia will also miss the Junior Women’s World Cup in South Africa later this year and the Indoor World Cup in Belgium and the 2022 Masters Indoor World Cup in the USA.
HA High Performance Pathways Manager Ian Rutledge, who is overseeing preparations for Australia’s participation in the Junior Men’s and Women’s World Cups, said: “The past 18 months have been a challenging period for these athletes who are currently looking to compete. These are in the window. These are the World Cups and those aspiring to be the next crop of HockeyRoose and Kookaburras.” “Hockey Australia’s top priority is the safety and well-being of its athletes and staff and this decision reflects that.”
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