“The risk is too high because we don’t know how a player who may have been infected with Corona should come back from China. The organizer does not offer any solutions for this,” said ÖTTV President Wolfgang Gotschke in a broadcast. The medical requirements are also too big a problem for the association.
“In order to get a visa, Austrians have to prove that they have a current third or fourth vaccination. Some of our regular players cannot meet these criteria. That’s why we had to give up a start,” said ÖTTV sports director Stefan Fegerl.
Not appearing also costs Austria’s teams valuable points in the Olympic ranking for Paris 2024. Both selections had reached the quarter-finals at the last World Team Championships in 2018. Now it’s time to make up for lost points at the European Championships.
The road to the 2023 European Team Championships in Malmö is expected to begin with phase 1 on December 6th. The men in Spain will start in the group with Croatia, the ÖTTV women will initially be guests in Serbia. In addition, it is for two-time European champion Sofia Polcanova and Co. against Luxembourg.
Source: Nachrichten
