Melbourne [Australia], August 6 (ANI): Hockey Australia (HA), in conjunction with its Member Associations, on Thursday, agreed not to proceed with the scheduled Australian Indoor Hockey Championships in January 2021.

After closely monitoring the COVID situation and the impact of the pandemic on the sporting community around the country, the decision was reached following regular dialogue between Member Associations and the HA Indoor Advisory Group over recent months.

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"Given the impact COVID-19 has had on extending the traditional outdoor 'winter season', there is a strong chance this will impact the usual timing of the traditional summer indoor seasons within each state and territory and their respective abilities to prepare and send competitive representative teams," HA CEO Matt Favier said in a statement.

"Importantly, the continual uncertainty and challenges faced by Member Associations needs to be carefully managed and considered. We are actively reviewing possible options of what a national indoor hockey event could look like and will continue to work with Member Associations to identify the right time to host the next edition of the Australian Indoor Hockey Festival," he added.

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Hockey Australia's focus remains on community competitions and supporting its 1,00,000 plus members in being able to return to play safely. (ANI)

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