Islamabad, October 6, (Asia Free Press): The Indian hockey team has pulled out of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) scheduled to be held in Birmingham next year. Hockey India has cited the Covid-19 situation in Britain and the mandatory ten-day quarantine regulation for Indian citizens as the reason behind their decision.
The decision comes just a day after England pulled out of the Junior World Cup, which is to be held in Bhubaneswar, India, this November. England has also cited the mandatory 10-day quarantine imposed on travellers from their country by the Indian government as one of the key reasons for the decision.
The India based vaccines are yet to be recognized by the British government. In retaliation, India has regulated all the British arrivals through PCR tests and a ten-day mandatory quarantine.
The tiff between the Indian and British authorities over-vaccination certificates and quarantine requirements for each other’s nationals have spillover to hockey grounds.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Hockey India has called Britain the “worst-affected” country in Europe and said that Asian Games, the continental qualification event for Paris Olympics 2024 is their priority rather than the Commonwealth games.
The Commonwealth Games are scheduled to be held in Birmingham from July 28 to August 8 next year, while the Asian Games will commence on September 10 in Hangzhou, China.
