The Romanian Handball Federation has agree to host the replay of both the Men’s and Women’s Asian Olympic Qualification tournaments. The tournaments are to be held from 28 January to 3 February. The Women will play in Bucharest and the Men will play in Oradea. Meanwhile, the Asian Handball Federation (AHF) Executive Committee met on Saturday and reportedly rejected the IHF’s request to reschedule the tournament, apparently maintaining that there were no problems with the original tournaments. There has, as yet, been no official press release from the IHF regarding this apparent stand-off.
At the center of the controversy is AHF President, Kuwait Shiekh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah. In addition to his AHF Presidency he is also the President of the Asian Olympic overarching body, the Olympic Council of Asia and is one of the 115 members of the IOC.
Wikipedia article on Shiekh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmed_Al-Fahad_Al-Ahmed_Al-Sabah
Sport.ro article: http://www.sport.ro/stiri/23826/Sporturi/Handbal/Asia-se-muta-in-Romania-meciurile-de-handbal-din-Cupa-Asiei-se-joaca-la-Oradea-si-Bucuresti.html
Korea Times: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/01/136_16759.html
Yonhap News: http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/Features/2008/01/08/64/0801000000AEN20080108002800315F.HTML
LOL: Story headline should read:
IHF requests, FRH agrees, AHF rejects!
Will Kuwait attend the tournament in Japan? And if they don't will they just show up at the Olympics? If you have confidence in your team's quality, show up, play, win, and then say, "Of course the first tournament was really fair". If you know you were cheaters, don't show up, and whine that you were unfairly treated [as in having to play with unbiased referees].
To be honest, if I were the IOC, I'd tell the IHF: "get your act together. Send us your participating countries by or there will be no handball in Bejing!"
That's what people are talking about here. I have no idea if this is realistic, but the IHF needs to act swiftly and decisively. If the AHF doesn't follow, kick them out. In the US, we've seen federations being dismantled before, we could lend the AHF a shoulder to cry on. :-)
This silliness needs to stop and it needs to stop right now. The manipulations were plain and obvious. The IHF needs to make sure they are forgotten as soon as possible. Giving the AHF an opportunity to prolong this debacle was not a move in this direction. Our sport is not something some Sheik stoned on oil fumes can buy. If they don't get the rules, they can go and play in the sand by themselves.