KEY POINTS:
Netball officials may shift the world championship from Fiji next year after the military coup in the South Pacific country.
The championship, held every four years and last won by New Zealand, is scheduled to be held in Fiji in July.
International Netball Federation (IFNA) president Molly Rhone
today said those arrangements were being reviewed and the event could be held elsewhere.
"We are obviously very concerned for the immediate safety of everyone in Fiji and in particular all our colleagues on the organising committee," she said.
"In the longer term, the safety and security of everyone taking part and planning to travel to Fiji for the championships next year is of paramount importance and under the circumstance we are being forced to consider contingency plans and the possibility of moving the event from Fiji."
She described the developments as unfortunate.
"The organising committee has worked incredibly hard over a number of years in preparation for their first world netball championships and we will not take any decision lightly.
"We will continue to assess all the implications of the situation for the tournament and weigh up the options as quickly as possible."
She said IFNA would seek a meeting with the organising committee as soon as possible.
Netball New Zealand chief executive Shelley McMeeken said her organisation had yet to hear from IFNA and until then she would not speculate on what might happen to the championship or where it might be held.
"At this stage we're just waiting to see what communication we get from the international body. It is in their hands.
"It is a watching brief and we are not going to speculate. We are waiting to see what IFNA's next move is."
She was noncommittal when asked whether New Zealand could host the 2007 championship despite such late notice.
"There is a whole lot of speculation around that and we'd have to talk more closely with IFNA on that.
"IFNA are the spokespeople and we are more than happy to work through that with them at some stage."
The championship was last staged in New Zealand in 1999 and the 2003 edition was played in Jamaica.
IFNA vice-president Kereyn Smith, of New Zealand, said it was difficult to say how long it would take before the world body decided whether the championship would remain in Fiji or be held elsewhere.
"We haven't really had the time to look at options. Up until this point and, particularly over the past seven days, our focus has been trying to understand the issues and implications about what is happening in Fiji," Smith said.
"I don't expect a decision for a few days. We are obviously moving with some haste on that.
"We've been presented with somewhat of an unusual situation.
"We are just trying to understand the Fiji situation and then, secondly, we'll have to deal with the implications of that, which will be emerging."
Smith said the process could not be hurried.
She said IFNA met last month in Jamaica but no further meeting was scheduled in the short term.
However, management and board members were in daily contact.
- NZPA
