Following the military coup in Fiji, IFNA announced at the weekend that  Fiji had been stripped of the rights to host the World Netball Championships. In making the announcement IFNA claiming it was regrettable but necessary.

This gave fresh impetus to calls to stop the Fiji Sevens team playing in Wellington in February next year.

But New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark ruled out banning Fiji from the Wellington tournament on February 2 and 3.

The Government slapped a ban on sporting contacts after the military coup in Fiji, but said international events would be exempt.

Last week two political parties, United Future and the Greens, called for Fiji to be banned from the sevens.

Clark said on Monday that banning Fiji would mean New Zealand losing its round of the international tournament.

"There would be massive damage to Wellington, this is the single biggest event that Wellington hosts in a year as far as I'm aware," she said on TV One's Breakfast programme in New Zealand.

Clark said the Government did not ban Fiji from the Sevens after the 2000 coup, and was adopting the same policy this time.