AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY

TEAM
MEDIA RELEASE

Terror attacks force women's world ice hockey

championship venue change -Australian national team boycott now lifted
Under embargo until 12.01am on 30 January 2016
CANBERRA.-- Australia's national women's ice hockey team's threat to boycott
the 2016 world championships because of security concerns has led to a change in
venue with organisers agreeing to move the event from Ankara, Turkey.
"This is the best Christmas-New Year present we could have asked for," Rocky
Padjen, director of the women's program at Ice Hockey Australia, said today.
"Many of our players and their families were nervous last year when the
International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced Ankara as the host for the
February 2016 world championships.
"And that was even before the terrible terrorist attacks in Turkey in recent weeks.
"It seems that at Australia's initiative, other participating teams, including from
Mexico and New Zealand, voiced their concerns and the IIHF finally came around
to our way of thinking -- especially after the December tragedy," Padjen said.
The six participating national teams -- Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Iceland,
Turkey and hosts Spain -- will play a round robin series of games from February 29
- March 6.
"Not only has changing the venue 3500kms away from Ankara to Jaca in northern
Spain been a sensible security decision," said Padjen, "it also becomes a much
more attractive proposition now for players who had sworn off travelling with the
team to a potential terror hot-spot.
"It's all hands on deck for the next four weeks as we get down to final player
selections, make travel arrangements, and book pre-championship exhibition
games to get the players in the best possible shape come game day," Padjen added.
Further information & interviews: Rocky Padjen, Director (NWP), Ice Hockey
Australia M: 0418 200 761
World Championship website: http://www.iihf.com/competition/556/statistics.html