Readers to this website well know that I’ve often compared USA Rugby’s ongoing struggles to develop Rugby in the United States, to Team Handball’s efforts to do the same. Now a new publication, “Putting Rugby First“, www.puttingrugbyfirst.com is worth reading for anyone concerned with the state of Handball’s development at the International level. Putting Rugby First is an independent report that was commissioned by an undisclosed group of "concerned rugby supporters who wish to ensure that the great game of rugby reaches its full, global potential."

Here are some of the findings of the report and some commentary as they apply to handball:

– Rugby’s International Rugby Board (IRB) (Rugby’s IHF equivalent) needs to be more representative. Currently, the Foundation Union’s (the top rugby nations) have increased voting power and can effectively veto other nations.
Comment: The IHF does have a one nation, one vote policy. Although, maybe there’s something to be said for the Rugby model. Should Germany and the Cook Islands really have the same voting power at the IHF?

– Rugby should have staged the 2011 World Cup in Japan (vice New Zealand) to enhance an emerging market.
Comment: Well the IHF has placed the World Championships in Egypt, Tunisia, Japan, and now China (women 2009), so there has been some effort put forth in the past. The problem with staging a World Championship in say, the USA or Australia, is that the sport is currently, too little known.

– Rugby botched their opportunity to get on the Olympic Program.
Comment: Handball is on the Olympic Program and hopefully there to stay. This report should make it very clear, though, how fortunate Handball is to be already on the program instead of trying to fight its way on. I know you Euros out there are saying, of course, it’s on the program, but outside of Europe, Handball has very little pull. And it’s probably safe to say that the only reason the sport has now gained a little traction in a few places outside of Europe (South Korea, Brazil, Egypt, Tunisia) is that it is an Olympic sport.

– The IRB has contributed substantial funding to emerging rugby nations, including several million dollars to the United States
Comment: The IHF, on the other hand, has distributed a few balls here and there. Of course, the Rugby World Cup is played in outdoor stadiums and has turned huge profits. The IHF World Championships, on the other hand are played in indoors arena. Still the 2007 World Championships in Germany were hugely successful and had to have turned a significant profit—Where has that money gone? If the IHF and other Handball entities invested in the United States and helped Handball become more than the near “nothing” it is there, the whole Handball community would benefit in the long run.

– Rugby is only on TV in core rugby markets
Comment: This is also a shortcoming for Handball is most pronounced in the United States where despite more and more channel options, Handball still has not managed to find its way on TV. Consistent exposure of Handball on US TV would have a tremendous impact on the sport's development. The Olympics were a start, but this momentum needs to be carried forward.

– Rugby is losing ground to other sports in emerging markets
Comment: This problem is even more pronounced for Handball. One has to only look at the fact that basketball is more popular than handball in Iceland now. 30 years ago in China Basketball and Handball were little known sports. Now 300,000,000 play basketball in China and their National Handball teams are made up largely from cast offs from basketball and other sports.

The Handball powers that be (the IHF, EHF, G-20, and the major professional leagues) could certainly gain some insight from the “Putting Rugby First” publication. But more importantly, they should be asking themselves if maybe Handball should do the same thing. Here’s hoping those organizations consider commissioning some independent think tank to conduct a “Putting Handball First” study.

Here are just a few things such a report could address:
– Loss of market share in European countries and how to increase it
– Total lack of presence in major markets (USA, India, China, UK, Japan, Australia, Canada)
– Funding for marketing efforts (e.g. getting the sport on TV in more countries)
– Resolving competing interests between the clubs, EHF, IHF and National Leagues
– IHF organization: Is it too unwieldy? Does it represent the best interests of all nations? Are its actions transparent?
– Best practices to develop more competitive national teams outside of Europe

Of course, commissioning a report would only be the first step. The Handball World would then have to act upon the findings. But recognizing that there are shortcomings that need to be addressed would be a good start.

Whether you’ve been a Team Handball fan your entire life, or just discovered the sport flipping through channels yesterday, you’re soon going to have to come to grips with the stark reality that the Olympics are over and along with that fact, so is your opportunity to watch the sport on TV in the U.S– at least in the immediate future. But, fortunately there are some remedies that can help alleviate the pain of withdrawal.

[b]1) Follow the sport on the web: [/b] The Olympics is just but one tournament, albeit an important one. The club season will be starting very soon in Europe and the Women’s European Championship will be in December and the Men’s World Championship will be in January. (Can the French beat the Croatians in Zagreb?) There are video web streaming options available. Notably, the European Handball Federation (EHF) has streamed Champions League matches for free and the German Bundesliga has a pay per view package available at HBL.TV www.hbl.tv. The quality of the video stream for HBL.TV is great, much better than the NBC stream, but it also isn‘t free. Both the European Championships and World Championships will also likely be streamed, but it’s TBD as to what the quality and price will be.

[b]2) Join a movement to bring Team Handball on TV in the U.S.[/b] Earlier this year, I wrote an April Fool’s Day article that believe it or not, fooled a lot of people.

IHF, EHF and Major National Leagues Form TV Partnership: https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.480

Shortly, thereafter, I wrote a mea culpa https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.481 where I discussed forming a fan based movement to get Team Handball on TV. I’ve been remiss in following through on this plan, but I promise to get it started soon. I’ll also emphasize this isn’t just a pipedream. I’ve spoken with the folks at the Australian Football Association of North America (AFANA) www.afana.com
about the impact their organization has had in getting Australian Football on TV in the USA. Their movement started out as a group of fans writing a few letters, but morphed into an entity that was instrumental in a multi-million dollar TV contract being signed with Setanta Sports to broadcast Footy in the U.S. If a non-Olympic sport, predominant in only one country, requiring a humongous field and 36 players can gain traction in the U.S. it’s only a matter of time before Handball can do the same.

[b]3) Get involved with a local club or start one of your own.[/b] Contact USA Team Handball www.usateamhandball.org for information on clubs in your local area. If there isn’t a club nearby, look into starting your own. In the past two weeks, I’ve gotten about 10 emails from folks in Las Vegas wanting to play Team Handball. And each of those individuals contacted me after checking out this Google Map: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=103598029638506187982.000440c7641749acb6497 (Look out LA, the Vegas Rattlers will be gunning for you in a few months.) Also, note that anyone can edit this map and put a marker down for a club. Who knows, there could be another handball fan who lives half a mile from you.

[b]4) Make plans to see professional Team Handball in the United States.[/b] Yes, that’s right in the United States. Miami is scheduled to host the French League Cup Final Four, April 10-12, 2009. https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.529 It’s TBD as to which French Clubs will qualify for the trip to Miami, but it’s hard to imagine that Chambery and Montpellier won’t make it. That means French Olympic Champions, David Narcisse, Joel Abati, Cedric Burdet, Michael Guigou will be playing at the Miami Arena next April.

So, hopefully these four remedies will help you recover from Olympic Team Handball withdrawal. Bogdan, Bjoern and I will do our best to keep you informed of what’s happening in the Team Handball world. Stay tuned for more stories about the U.S. development efforts and Handball on TV.

Even the mainstream U.S. press has picked up the story of Iceland’s surprising run to the Gold Medal game. It’s simply irresistible that a tiny nation of only 300,000 people, with only 3 individual medals in its Olympic history, could secure its first ever Gold Medal. It’s a David vs. Goliath story that is hard not to like, even if you know next to nothing about Team Handball.

But, while Iceland is a clear underdog they also have a strong Handball tradition. They have almost always been good enough to scare the larger nations and often good enough to win a game or two against them. What’s notable about this tournament is that they’ve been able to string together two big victories in a row at the perfect time. Not to mention that the way the ball bounced for seeding their bracket had them avoiding France, Croatia and Denmark before the Final. And now they are in the proverbial one game, anything can happen scenario.

On paper, they shouldn’t stand much of a chance against France. Talent wise, I think that only 5 players (Steffanson, Sigurdsson, Petersson, Geirsson, and Gunnarson) on the Iceland side would even make France’s roster. And of these 5 players, I think only Steffanson and Sigurdsson would play much. The rest of Iceland’s roster consists of players who play in club leagues either 1 notch (Denmark) or two notches (Norway, Iceland) below the German/Spanish leagues. They are decent players, but they also are a step down talent wise.

But while they might come up short in a player per player comparison, their great team chemistry means that the total sum of their performance is far greater than the individual parts. They’ve also proven that they can beat the mighty French side, having done so in a convincing 32-24 trouncing of Les Bleus in preliminary round competition at the 2007 World Championships. More recently, however, Iceland suffered a 30-21 loss to France at the 2008 European Championship just 7 months ago in Norway.

Up and down performance, is a clear trend with Iceland. In June, they surprised many by beating a resurgent Swedish side to capture one of the last spots for the Olympic Games. Then two weeks later, they failed to qualify for the 2009 World Championships, losing to relative newcomer Macedonia in a two game playoff. Even their performance in Beijing has been unsteady, with losses to South Korean and a draw vs. Egypt blemishing their record in the preliminary rounds.

Is it time for the up and down Iceland roller coaster to come down again? My head says France wins going away. My heart says Iceland, Iceland, Iceland.

[b]Media Articles on Iceland Handball[/b]
New York Times: In Handball, Iceland Will Try for Its First Olympic Title: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/23/sports/olympics/23iceland.html?ref=sports
USA Today: Tiny Iceland on verge of handball glory, sans Bjork: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/beijing/team/2008-08-20-iceland-handball_N.htm
USA Today: Iceland eyes gold medal in handball: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/beijing/team/2008-08-23-iceland-handball_N.htm
Washington Post Sports Blog: Icelandic Handball: Magic Elves, Cured Shark and Existentialism: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2008/08/icelandic_handball_magic_elves.html
Washington Post Sports Blog: Scenes from Iceland's Handball Triumph: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2008/08/scenes_from_icelands_handball.html#more
Washington Post Sports Blog: Icelandic Handball's Finest Moment: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2008/08/icelandic_handball_magic_elves.html
Christian Science Monitor: Iceland’s handball Vikings seek to plunder gold: http://features.csmonitor.com/olympics08/2008/08/20/icelands-handball-vikings-seek-to-plunder-gold/
The Sporting News: Iceland Is So Hot Right Now: http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/the_sporting_blog/entry/view/11111/iceland_is_so_hot_right_now
Reuters: Elf power, Viking rites fire up Iceland: http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Olympics/idUSSYD18815020080823?sp=true
LA Times Olympics Blog: Medals Per Capita Table Warms Up for Iceland: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/olympics_blog/2008/08/medals-per-ca-4.html
Dallas Morning News Olympics Blog: An Update on my New Favorite Sport: http://olympicsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/08/an-update-on-my-new-favorite-s.html
New Jersey Star Ledger: Men's Handball Team is Miracle in Iceland: http://www.nj.com/olympics/index.ssf/2008/08/mens_handball_team_is_miracle.html
Associated Press: Historic Performance Captivates Nation: http://www.nbcolympics.com/handball/news/newsid=255769.html

Some close and controversial matches have made it clear to me that the IHF should seriously consider a major overhaul of the official rulebook to address play in the final minute of matches. Here are some of the problems that often arise and how the IHF could fix them.

[b]1) Determining whether the ball crossed the line before or after time expires is extremely dificult.[/b] Television replays of Norway’s last second goal against South Korea clearly show that it did not cross the line before the clock struck 30:00, but in defense of the on court officials it took a frame by frame analysis after the match to make that determination. It was unbelievably close and no one can honestly say that they were 100% sure one way or the other in real time.

[b]SOLUTION: [/b] Change the rule concerning last second shots, so that the criteria is that the player must release the ball prior to time expiring. If the player releases the ball in time then the shot counts if it goes in the goal. Some might argue that this simply changes the decision point and that the referee could still mess up that call. This is true, but the referee has a much greater chance of being in proper position to make the ball release judgment than he does it making an extrapolated 3-d assessment of whether the ball has crossed the imaginary goal line at 30:00.

[b]2) Intentional fouling to stall out the game.[/b] Egypt was chastised on newsgroup forums for not taking out the Russians with an intentional foul at half court prior in the closing seconds of their match. This common tactic has gotten downright ugly in some recent club matches. The EHF has suspended players for unsportsmanlike conduct, but to no avail, this tactic continues. Why, because the incentive of guaranteeing a win is too strong in relation to punishment after the fact.

[b]SOLUTION: [/b]Reward flagrant, intentional fouls in the last minute of a match with a 7 meter penalty throw. Some might say, that this penalty is too stiff, but I say if you want to solve this problem once and for all, this will do it.

[b]3) Official stoppage of the clock in the last minute of a game is inconsistent and at the discretion of the referees. [/b] For instance, a stoppage of play is warranted if a player is fouled and deposits sweat on the court (mop up time), but not if he’s fouled and stays on his feet. Is the stalling team moving out to 9 meters on a free throw fast enough? That’s up to the referee.

[b]SOLUTION:[/b] For the last minute of a match, automatically stop the clock for all stoppages of play. This “basketball” timekeeping solution is so obvious and so simple, why it hasn’t been done already is beyond me. This would eliminate all the bogus stalling and would take the officials judgment on stopping the clock out of the game. Sure, this will change the game in that clever teams won’t be able to manipulate the clock and officials, but what is the problem with that?

[b]4) Penalty shootouts are an unsatisfactory way of deciding a winner. [/b] Well, some might argue with that statement, but other than a few goalies that might enjoy the spotlight there’s generally no one happy in ending a hard fought match with a crap shoot.

[b]SOLUTION: [/b]Play 5 minute overtime periods until one side wins. Yes, yet again another “basketball” solution. But, can you give me any logical reason why a soccer solution is preferred? Soccer has shootouts because it is “scoring challenged” and matches could go on all day. Handball has more scoring and sooner or later (much more likely sooner) one side is going to come out ahead. Additionally, the two halves in extra periods, are excessive and unnecessary; one 5 minute period is sufficient. If it’s still tied, then play another 5 minutes.

Hey, I’ve got a full time job and I can’t always wake up at 3:00 in the morning to watch handball. Besides, I’m a time shifter https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.539 – I don’t have to do that. I can go to work, come home, eat dinner, spend some time with my daughters, put them to bed and then crack open a beer and watch the France-Croatia semifinal match in peace and quiet.

You’ve got to be careful, though, if you don’t want to know the outcome before its over. It’s best to have your wife go to the NBC website, just in case the link to the video player says something like France beats Croatia 32-31 in overtime. But once you click on the link, enlarge the video player and close the other windows, you’re safe for an hour and a half of handball viewing. Or so I thought.

Yes, some genius at NBC online decided it wasn’t enough to put a header on the actual video player that says: “Men’s Semifinal: France vs. Croatia” No, that wasn’t enough, they had to also add: “France knocks out Croatia to move to the gold medal match.” Exactly, what purpose does that additional information serve? Aaargh. Kind of like watching the Empire Strikes back with a banner at the top stating, “Luke Skywalker discovers Darth Vader is his father”

But, fortunately, all hope is not lost. I still don’t know the outcome of Spain – Iceland and I’ve learned my lesson. Yes, my wife will now check the video player banner and yes, you guessed it, she will put electrical tape on the computer monitor to hide any offending text.

This blog post gives away the result of one of the quarterfinals so click on "read the rest" for the story.

The South Korean Men were not expected to advance to the quarterfinals. Instead they surprised many observers by winning their Group with victories over European sides Denmark and Iceland. Alas, their dreams of medaling were dashed by a veteran Spanish squad in the quarterfinals. But, what is perhaps even more remarkable is that they wouldn’t even have been in Beijing at all, if it weren’t for the unprecedented decision by an arbitration court earlier this year. In a nutshell, a fixed match at the Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament had given Kuwait the Asian slot at the Olympics. It was only through the proliferation of a Korean News report of the tournament posted on the internet that a groundswell movement was started to replay the Asian tournament.

[b]Arbitration Report resulting in Korea going to the Olympics: [/b]https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.535
[b]Korean News Report:[/b] http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-908556008345758262

Oh, and how about another remarkable fact about the Korean Handball. Their squad features the all-time leading scorer in the German Bundesliga: https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.507