Australia on Friday pulled out of several upcoming FIH tournaments, including the junior men’s World Cup slated to be held in India later this year, citing COVID-19 related government travel restrictions.
The junior men’s World Cup is scheduled in November-December. The venue is yet to be confirmed.
Hockey Australia (HA) also announced that the Tokyo Olympics silver medallist and its trans-Tasman rival New Zealand will also skip season 3 of the Pro League, which starts next month.
“Australia and New Zealand will not take part in Season 3 of the FIH Pro League (scheduled 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.”
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 Masters Indoor World Cup in the USA in 2022.
