A worried women's team have been given an assurance by the Hong Kong Hockey Association that any player who pulls out of the Asian Games qualifying tournament will not be penalised. The five-team tournament is due to start in Bangkok today.
'If they don't want to go, they can drop out,' said HKHA vice-president Brenda Smith yesterday. 'It is up to the individual to decide, but so far no one has said they will pull out.'
Hong Kong has delayed leaving for the crisis-hit Thai capital over worries about player-safety. The 18-strong squad was due to leave on Wednesday.
'We are unsure if the curfew which is in place at night will affect our travel plans once we get to Bangkok,' Smith said. 'We are booked to leave [tonight], but if there are problems, we will leave early [tomorrow].'
Hong Kong's first game in a revised schedule will be against Singapore tomorrow afternoon. The tournament will take place in Pathum Thani, on the outskirts of Bangkok.
The Asian Games qualifiers have been hit by pull-outs - Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka and Pakistan have withdrawn, leaving the remaining five teams (Kazakhstan, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Thailand) to play in an event where the results will be academic as all teams are now guaranteed entry into November's Guangzhou Games.