Antwerp, June 19 (IANS): France on Friday replaced Azerbaijan in the women's Hockey World League (HWL) Semi-Final following the latter's non-arrival in Belgium for the 10-nation competition starting here on Saturday.
"France will directly replace Azerbaijan in the match schedule and the event will continue as per the existing pools and match times," the International Hockey Federation (FIH) said in a statement.
"Taking into consideration the importance of this Olympic qualification event, the fan experience and the fact that the matches are being broadcast worldwide, tournament director David Collier deemed it necessary to take action in accordance with Tournament Regulation 19, which is designed to protect the integrity of the event."
World No.24 France will now have the opportunity to compete for one of the three guaranteed tickets to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games available at the event.