THE South Korean team manager has confirmed that one of his players taking part in the Men's Junior World Cup was hospitalised in Johor Bahru and held overnight for observation for the A(H1N1) flu, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) said in a statement on Wednesday morning.
But the player, the team's reserve goalkeeper, has been cleared of the virus and discharged from the hospital.
South Korea played two games and won both. They play Spain on Thursday.
The 2009 Men's Junior World Cup features 20 participating teams, including Malaysia and Singapore, which are co-hosting the tournament.
The pool round is played in four pools of five teams each. Two of the pools, B and D, are playing their games in Sengkang Sports and Recreation Centre in Singapore while the other two pools, A and C, are playing their games in the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium in Johor.
The teams are:
Pool B - Australia, Chile, Germany, Japan, South Africa
Pool D: India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Singapore
Pool A - Argentina, Belgium, Egypt, Pakistan, Russia
Pool C - England, South Korea, Malaysia, Spain, United States
Meanwhile, on the pitch, the pool games are building up to an exciting climax. After Tuesday's games, which brought all teams to two matches played, Argentina and Spain both struggled in Johor Bahru against Belgium and England respectively, but managed to secure wins which took them to the top of their pools.
In Singapore, New Zealand and India split points. This result keeps both teams behind the Netherlands, vying for the elusive second place in pool D.
In Pool B, Australia defeated Japan 6:1 to lead their pool, ahead of Germany on goals scored.
The Standard Chartered Bank FIH Men's Junior World Cup 2009, a mammoth event hosted in Singapore and Johor Bahru over 15 days, with 20 teams playing out 82 matches, began on Sunday.
For the semi-finals, one will be played in Singapore and the other in Johor on June 19. The finals will be played in Johor on June 21.
