Hockey: Ex-coach backs hockey decision to risk New Delhi

Striker Simon Child is opting out of the tournament. Photo / Northern Advocate

Former New Zealand hockey coach Kevin Towns backs the Black Sticks' decision to go to the World Cup even though striker Simon Child yesterday opted out of the tournament, which starts in New Delhi this weekend.

Child, 21, the player of the tournament at last year's Junior World Cup in Malaysia, was due to return to Auckland this morning.

Hockey NZ chief executive Hilary Poole said Child had made his decision after a team meeting of the players in Perth, where they have been preparing for the cup.

Child said the increased security arrangements which followed last week's reported threat to major sporting events in India were not the sole reason for returning home but he did acknowledge that such arrangements did not "create an ideal high-performance environment".

Poole said Child had had a heavy playing schedule in the past 12 months and had taken the chance of a break to refresh ahead of other major tournaments this year including the Champions Trophy and Commonwealth Games.

Towns was coach of the national side who played in the 2004 Olympic qualifying tournament in Madrid where bombs killed 191 and injured more than 2000.

"But that is a different situation than we have here," said Towns.

"Those bombs went off in commuter trains, not in a secured stadium or hotel. It was unsettling, especially as we heard the blasts, but we did not feel threatened."

World Cup players Blair Hopping, Dean Couzins, Ryan Archibald, Kyle Pontifex and captain Phil Burrows were in Madrid when New Zealand qualified for the Athens Games, as was Darren Smith, who is assistant coach of the current team.

"A couple of the players wanted to go home [from Madrid] but after the players met and discussed the situation, they felt it was probably safer to stay put than hop on a plane," said Towns, whose son Simon captained that team.

"You can be sure that if the FIH felt there was any danger with the tournament going ahead in Delhi, they would have transferred it overnight to Holland.

"I would be guided by what other countries, especially Australia, Great Britain and other European nations are doing. The fact that Australia have already gone suggests to me they do not feel threatened."

Poole said: "The detail we have received [from the Government and those responsible for security] has reassured us that the required level of security is in place. Therefore we have kept the team in the tournament."

North Harbour striker Priyesh Bhana was last night named as Child's replacement.