WELLINGTON, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's biggest city Auckland is to host the 2007 World Netball Championships, said Netball New Zealand chairman Don Mackinnon Friday.

Mackinnon said both Auckland and Christchurch presented compelling cases, but Auckland is the preferred option.

The tournament, involving teams from 16 nations, may be split between two venues.

The event was to be held in Fiji in July, but Fiji was stripped off its hosting rights by the International Federation of Netball Associations following a military coup there on Dec. 5 last year.

New Zealand previously hosted the event in 1999, when Christchurch was the venue.

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