Australia set to miss junior Hockey World Cup in India due to Covid-19 related travel restriction
Australia has decided to give the junior men's Hockey World Cup a miss, due to the Covid-19 related travel restrictions put in their country. They will also not participate in the 3rd edition of the FIH Pro League for the same reason, with both these tournaments are scheduled to be held in India.
The Australian hockey team has pulled out of the junior men's hockey World Cup, scheduled to be played in India, citing Covid-19 related government restrictions as the reason. The tournament will be played in November-December this year.
According to a report in PTI, although the venue for the event is yet to be decided, Australia and New Zealand also decided to skip season 3 of the FIH Pro League. “Australia and New Zealand will not take part in Season 3 of the FIH Pro League (scheduled to start in October 2021) as a result of COVID-related government travel restrictions and uncertainty in both nations,” HA said in a statement.
“All participating countries and the FIH Pro League Council agreed 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 having to quarantine,” it added.
“Based on risk assessment and current Australian government health advice, Hockey Australia is not considering overseas hockey-related trips at this time,” said HA Acting CEO, Michael Johnston.
“The decision on our absence from the FIH Pro League was a collective one agreed on by all nations based primarily on other countries’ difficulty or inability to travel into Australia and New Zealand. “In Australia it is apparent the easing of international travel restrictions is still a way off and none of the competing countries wanted to enter the next Pro League season without a level of assuredness,” he added.
These are not the only tournaments the Aussies are going to miss. They will skip the junior women’s World Cup in South Africa, the Indoor World Cup in Belgium, and the Masters Indoor World Cup in the USA in 2022.