Olympic hockey champions Australia have pulled out of the elite six-nation men's Champions Trophy event in Pakistan in December because of security fears, officials said Tuesday.
"The Australian Hockey Association told us they are pulling out of the Champions Trophy. We see it as disappointing because Australia are the world's top team," Pakistan Hockey Federation spokesman Altaf Sabir told AFP. "We regret this decision and feel that it is premature. There is enough time until December and in the next four months things would have gone better," Sabir said.
"But we can't do much when they have taken a decision on their government's advice," he said, adding that Australia had taken the decision based on foreign ministry advice against travelling in Pakistan. The Champions Trophy is scheduled from December 1-9.