NEW DELHI: A day after England, citing "a number of COVID-related concerns", withdrew from the upcoming Hockey Men's Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021, India confirmed the withdrawal of its men’s and women’s teams from next year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
While Hockey India cited similar concerns to that of England Hockey as one of the key deciding factors, it bears noting that last month, HI had said the participation of its teams in the CWG was ‘doubtful’ because of the competition’s proximity to the Asian Games, where an Olympic berth is at stake.