Australia may pull out of lacrosse tournament in Israel
AUSTRALIA’s participation in the 2018 Men’s World Lacrosse Championships is in doubt after the decision was made to move the venue to the Israeli city of Netanya.
AUSTRALIA’s participation in the 2018 Men’s World Lacrosse Championships is in doubt after the decision was made to move the venue to the Israeli city of Netanya.
The Australian Lacrosse Association released a statement this week saying that “safety and security of the travelling Australian teams and associated supporters” is its “number one priority”.
“With the unfortunate terrorist incident that occurred in Manchester, England earlier this week (with London, England as the host for the upcoming 2017 FIL Rathbone Women’s World Cup) and the recent announcement by FIL that Israel Lacrosse will host the 2018 FIL Men’s Championship, there has been a need for ALA to consider the implication of these events, as both areas have a current ‘high degree of caution’ rating by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,” the statement reads.
“The ALA Board is currently seeking advice on this rating with DFAT, FIL and other appropriate agencies.”
The decision would impact on Jewish lacrosse player Liam Harari, who is currently representing Australia in the ASPAC Asia-Pacific Lacrosse Championships in South Korea.
A statement by the Israel Lacrosse Association (ILA) released on May 23 credited Israel’s recent success on the lacrosse world stage as the main reason for the decision to move the Championships to Netanya.
This will mark the first time that the competition will be held outside of the US, Canada, England or Australia since its inception in 1967, and is set to feature a record 50 nations.
Head of the ILA Scott Neiss said that the decision to choose Israel to host was a testament to the country’s growing success in lacrosse.
Israel was placed second in the 2017 European championship and seventh in the 2014 World Championships.
“The success of Israel Lacrosse both internationally, that sees us ranked seventh in the world, and the domestic infrastructure we’ve established at grassroots level here in Israel, put us in good standing when submitting our bid to host the FIL World Championships,” said Neiss.
“We’re delighted to showcase our country, our facilities, and the spirit of Israel to the world.”
YAEL BRENDER
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