Ron Froehlich, President of the International World Games Association (IWGA), told sportcal.com that an ‘amicable agreement’ for indoor hockey to withdraw from The World Games 2009 Kaohsiung has been reached, after the IWGA refused to accommodate the six men’s and six women’s teams that the FIH, field hockey's world governing body, had applied for.

Indoor hockey at The World Games 2005 Duisburg, when it premiered as an invitational sport, involved four men’s and four women’s teams. The Kaohsiung Organizing Committee and the IWGA would have been prepared to accommodate a men's and a women's tournament of a similar scope again, but they were reluctant to increase the FIH quota of athletes and officials further, beyond 125.

Field hockey is an Olympic sport in its original version, which is played outdoors and involves 11 players per side. Six-a-side indoor hockey evolved from the original game only recently - the first World Cup was played 2003 in Leipzig, Germany - and seeks to gain even better global exposure and popularity through its participation in The World Games.

However, The World Games, much like the Olympics, have established firm ceilings for the number of participants involved. A total of 3,500 are slated for participation in the 2009 edition.

All sports featured during 2009 Kaohsiung have to make compromises when it comes to the number of athletes and officials necessary to stage their competitions. The average contingent for an International Federation with a sport on the Official Sports Program includes approximately 100 athletes/officials.

Indoor hockey will not be replaced with other sports or events at next year’s World Games in Kaohsiung, TPE.

Read President Froehlich's statement, click here!