India’s hockey team has withdrawn from the Commonwealth Games set to be played in Birmingham next year. The team quoted strict lockdown rules and “discriminatory” mandates regarding quarantine for travelers. Earlier, England withdrew from the junior men’s world cup in India’s city Bhubaneswar. Indian’s men team clinched bronze in the Tokyo Olympics while the women finished fourth.
You will appreciate that the Asian games is the Continental qualification event for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and keeping the priority of the Asian Games in mind, Hockey India can not risk any members of the Indian teams contracting COVID-19 during the Commonwealth Games," Ningombam wrote. "Therefore, Hockey India will not be sending its men and women teams to Commonwealth Games 2022 and are informing you in advance to kindly notify the Organisers to identify reserve teams.