07 September 2004	Tuesday	21 Rajab 1425

AUCKLAND, Sept 6: New Zealand has no immediate plans to withdraw from the six-nation Champions Trophy hockey tournament in Lahore in December, despite reports Australia was considering pulling out, chief executive Ramesh Patel said on Monday.

Pakistan Hockey Federation said extensive security arrangements would be in place for the tournament after Olympic champions Australia said they were considering withdrawing from the event.

Hockey Australia chief executive Lyndon Adamson said on Friday he had asked tournament organisers in Pakistan for details of their security plans after some team members expressed reservations about December 4-12 tournament.

Australian government recently renewed its warning to nationals to avoid all non-essential travel to Pakistan for security reasons. Patel said New Zealand Hockey Federation was currently gathering information from International Hockey Federation (FIH) about safety issues and security measures for Champions Trophy.

NZHF was also consulting with Hockey Australia, he said. "We want to go through that process first and make sure we aren't doing anything irresponsible. After that, we'll go to the players and ask them what they feel about it," he said.

"I know once players knew they were in top six they were keen to go, but they may not have thought too much about where they're actually going. They probably wouldn't have registered too much about implications because they were excited about getting there."

New Zealand qualified for Champions Trophy for the first time in 20 years after finishing sixth at Athens Olympics last month. "The process would be then to ask players individually whether they wanted to go.

We wouldn't hold it against any player that chose not to go. Then we'd have to make a decision as a team whether we were going to go or not." Patel said he was waiting for men's coach Kevin Towns to return from overseas and would liaise with him as well.

He said none of New Zealand's current players had played in Pakistan, regarded as a top hockey nation. "And to play in the sub-continent is a little bit of a dream for some players.

I guess that's why they want to go, but we have to take responsible stance of checking everything else out." Patel said NZHF would also talk to New Zealand Cricket "to understand what does happen when you do make your tour of Pakistan".

In 2002, New Zealand cricket team abandoned its tour of Pakistan after a bomb was detonated outside its hotel, killing 14 people. Pakistan has hosted Champions Trophy, which it initiated in 1978, 10 times.

It was originally scheduled to stage 2001 edition which was relocated to the Netherlands in wake of Sept 11 attacks on the United States and subsequent war in neighbouring Afghanistan. -PPI