Australian men's coach Ric Charlesworth said on Thursday it was "crazy and disrespectful" for New Delhi Commonwealth Games organisers to schedule field hockey matches during the heat of the day.
Australian men's coach Ric Charlesworth said on Thursday it was "crazy and disrespectful" for New Delhi Commonwealth Games organisers to schedule field hockey matches during the heat of the day.
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Charlesworth, who guided the Kookaburras to World Cup success in the Indian capital last March, is perturbed that his players will have all their four group matches during the day at the October 3-14 showpiece.
The coach said he was also frustrated at being restricted to selecting just 16 players, unlike at the World Cup and the Champions Trophy where teams can name 18-man squads.
"We will have to play in very hot weather with 16 players, it's nuts and I find it extraordinary," Charlesworth told Australian Associated Press.
"My experience (of New Delhi) has not been good. The grounds will be fine, but the problem is we will be playing in the middle of the day and that is unfair," he said.
October is actually a peak period for tourism in New Delhi after the searing heat of high summer, with temperatures ranging from the low 20s Celsius to the low 30s (low 70s to high 80s Fahrenheit)
Charlesworth insisted that heat would be a problem.
"Who knows how the people who organise these things think, it is OK if you are playing netball inside but not for our sport," he said.
"They wouldn't run the marathon in the middle of the day -- it is crazy and disrespectful.
"We have had to make adjustments to our selection process for the Commonwealth Games because of the conditions and in my opinion that is wrong and it does a disservice to the game and the players."
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