Your independent news and commentary outlet for the Olympic sport of Team Handball
With a 32-28 victory last weekend in Bucharest, Russia appeared on track for another trip to the World Championship. Romania, however, had other plans and with their 37-32 victory in Chekov yesterday, they won the 2 game series with an aggregate 65-64 win. The Russians will now miss the World Championships for the first time since 1961.
Video: Russia vs Romania (last five minutes): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrRZH2VWSjM
USA Team Handball has posted the Men’s and Women’s Elite Gold Medal matches from this past May’s National Championships. Kenn Tomasch gives the play by play and Team Handball News’ John Ryan provides the color commentary
USA Team Handball Video Library: http://usateamhandball.org/video
Japanese star, Daisuke Miyazaki has decided to return to home after a one year contract playing for Spanish Club, Alcobendas, in the Liga Asobal. The 29 year old Center Back scored 104 goals in his one season and proved that he more than belonged in one of Handball’s top professional leagues.
According to former Spanish National Team player, Jaume Fort, Miyazaki had a pretty good season. Although somewhat undersized he used his quickness to good effect. For the season he had a shooting percentage was 61% and had the 2nd most assists for his club. Fort, pointed out that he did lack a little in consistency, but that could be at least partly due to the challenges of playing in one of the world's top leagues on a weekly basis. That weekly experience will undoubtedly pay dividends for the Japanese National Team in future competitions and likely factored into his outstanding play at last February’s Asian Championships where Miyazaki led his team in qualifying for the World championships.
For those wondering about the references in the article’s title, Ichiro Suzuki, is a Japanese baseball player who has had a phenomenal career playing in the United States. Despite playing on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, Suzuki’s exploits are followed closely in Japan with a team of Japanese reporters traveling with the Seattle Mariner’s to every game.
Handball is a not one of the top sports in Japan, so Miyazaki played in relative obscurity in Spain. Certainly, he didn’t have a travelling band of reporters following him around. His national profile has been enhanced, however, from several appearances on a game show which literally translates as “Pro Sportsman #1”. The game show features Japanese athletes from several sports performing unique sporting challenges and Miyazaki has won the title 3 times in 2006, 2008 and 2009.
And hence the reference to Kyle Rote, Jr. With the World Cup in full swing it’s amusing to note in the 1970s that Rote was easily the most widely known American Soccer player. Not for his exploits on the pitch, but for his prowess in a made for TV competition show called the Superstars. The show featured stars from several sports competing in obstacle courses and other events and this was the first time I became aware that there was such a thing as a professional soccer player. U.S. soccer has come a long ways in the intervening 30+ years and maybe it’s time for a new generation of Americans to be introduced to the concept of a professional Team Handball player in much the same way.
I’ve noticed that a U.S. version of the Japanese obstacle course called Wipeout is starting up again. For some strange reason, ABC somehow thinks it’s more interesting to have out of shape nobodies try to complete the course. I’m predicting, though, it’s only a matter of time before they wise up and get some real athletes taking part. And when they do why not get a Team Handball athlete to take part? I think somebody like Gary Hines would do well.
Mlive.com (3 Jun 10): Handball: Miyazaki to return to Japanese league next season: http://www.mlive.com/sportsflash/index.ssf?/base/sports-311/1275558261150770.xml&storylist=sports
Miyazaki Youtube profile video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8i3YiLA8ok&feature=player_embedded#
THN (19 Feb 10): Japan grabs the remaining World Championship slot in overtime thriller!: https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.961
Marca.com (8 Oct 09)L Mizayaki has gone from being a star in Japan to a private citizen in Alcobendas: http://www.marca.com/2009/10/08/balonmano/1255002046.html
“Sasuke” Ninja Warrior Gameshow Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7hoKN9g1U8&feature
Daisuke Miyazaki Official Website: http://pakila.jp/daisuke/
Kyle Rote, Jr Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyle_Rote,_Jr.
Ichiro Suzuki Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichiro_Suzuki
Superstars Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstars
Great Britain’s Steve Larsson, scored his 13th and final goal with 2 seconds left to propel Great Britain to a 33-32 victory over Bulgaria. The game winner was the first time Great Britain had led in the match. The victory is a milestone in that it is Great Britain Men’s first win in a World Championship or European Championship Qualification match.
The win was a positive finish to a disappointing tournament, though, as Great Britain lost to tourney winner’s Estonia (35-26) and runners up Cyprus (24-16). Britain had hoped to win the tournament and qualify for the next round of tougher competition as a prelude to the 2012 Olympics. Failing to do so will mean that they will have to be content with International Friendlies for the foreseeable future.
VIDEO: BBC (12 Jun 10): Highlights: GB handball stars bow out: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/handball/8736625.stm
VIDEO: BBC (12 Jun 10): British men record first competitive international win: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/handball/8737321.stm
British Handball: Jubilant GB Secure First Win on Home Soil: http://fastbreak-handballnews.blogspot.com/2010/06/euro-2012-gb-v-bulgaria-latest.html
EHF: 2012 European Championship Preliminary Qualification: http://www.eurohandball.com/ech/men/2012/round/3/Qualification+1
This past Friday the draw for Men’s PATHF Elite Championship was held in Chile. The resulting draw features a relativey weak Group A with Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Canada and a strong Group B with Brazil, Cuba, Greenland and the Dominican Republic. Arguably, based on recent results, Group B has 4 of the 5 best teams in PATHF and is a legitimate “Group of Death.”
At first glance this draw result might be a reason to suspect shenanigans with host Chile being given an easy ride to the semifinals. The PATHF procedures, however, suggest it was only a result of mildly good fortune.
Draw Procedures:
The eight teams were grouped into 4 rows based on the results of the 2008 Championship.
Row 1= BRA / ARG (1st and 2nd in 2008)
Row 2= CUB /CHI (3th and 4th)
Row 3= GRL / URU (5th and 6th)
Row 4= DOM / CAN (1st and 2nd, during last First Division PATHF Championship)
Rows 1, 3 and 4 were drawn into groups A and B. Chile as the host was then allowed to choose which Group it preferred.
Brazil and Argentina are the clear favorites and will likely play for the title. The remaining 6 teams in all likelihood will battle for 3rd place and the last ticket to the World Championships in Sweden.
Cuba was 3rd in 2008 and Chile was guaranteed to avoid them since they were on the same row. Greenland (3rd in 2006) and a resurgent Dominican Republic, bolstered by Cuban expats were the teams to avoid. At least one of those teams could be avoided for sure and there was a 50% chance that they would be drawn together, which was the result that occurred.
Chile’s good fortune is equally good fortune for Canada. Both Uruguay and Chile beat them two years ago, but they surely would rather face those nations than either Cuba or Greenland. Regardless, getting to the semifinals is just half the battle. A victory in the 3rd place game will be the key to a World Championship ticket. The 2010 PATHF Men’s Championships will take place from 22-26 June in Chile.
PATHF: Draw Results: http://www.panamhandball.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=85&Itemid=39
Last fall the IOC voted to put Rugby back on the Olympic program. The 7s version of the game will make its first appearance 6 years from now in Rio. But fans won’t have to wait 6 years to see the sport on TV as this weekend as an event billed as the “Rugby 7s Collegiate Championship Invitational” is being broadcast live on NBC this Saturday and Sunday (2:00 – 4:00 PM Eastern time)
There are a few interesting data points to take away from this event as USA Team Handball strives to get coverage in the U.S. First off, this event isn’t being organized by the USA Rugby Federation. Instead, a private company, USA 7s LLC, is organizing this event and there is only a loose tie to USA Rugby. USA 7s LLC has essentially purchased the marketing rights for the 7 player game while USA Rugby focuses on the more familiar 15 player game.
Using college brands, the Olympic connection and marketing knowhow USA 7s somehow got NBC to broadcast this event. And on the very same weekend the U.S. National Team is playing one of its rare home games against Russia with the broadcast limited to Fox Sports Rocky Mtn and the internet. Ticket sales for the collegiate event are also expected to best the International match.
In terms of which event I would rather watch on TV it’s a no-brainer. I find the 15 player game to be more entertaining. The U.S. is getting better and there are several professional players now on the U.S. roster. The collegiate event is strictly a made for TV event. Rugby 7s is not played as much as Rugby 15s in college and with a college all star event taking place the same weekend many of the top players aren’t available. But it isn’t about what I want to watch. It’s about marketing and the college brand.
I did watch a little of the event today and I have to say that the production value was pretty good. With it being a quiet Saturday in June there were probably several casual fans who stumbled upon the broadcast. And surely some of those fans are now inquiring about playing the game with dreams of Olympic glory. I couldn’t also help but think about a similar Team Handball event coming to NBC at some point. College teams start gearing up. It could happen sooner than you think.
Rugby Collegiate Championship website: http://www.usasevenscci.com/
USA 7s website: http://www.usasevens.com/
Gainline Rugby Blog: Collegiate 7s Championship a marketing success: http://www.gainline.us/gainline/2010/06/collegiate-7s-championship-a-marketing-success.html
GoffonRugby: Why College 7s is Important: http://www.rugbymag.com/features/goffonrugby/goff-on-rugby-why-college-7s-is-important.aspx
USA Today (4 Jun 10): Rugby gets moment in sun: http://www.usatoday.com/SPORTS/usaedition/2010-06-04-rugby04_ST_U.htm
Francois-Xavier Chapon, a goalie for French 1st Division club Ivry, recently scored one of the more remarkable goals in Handball history. In the goal he blocks a shot from Chambery‘s Edin Basic with his left foot. The ball then is propelled off his block all the way to the other end of the court where it presumably goes over the head of Chambery goalie, Mickael Robin. Video of the block, but not the actual goal is below. Apparently, the cameraman was as suprised as the goalie.
Handzone (27 May 10) The goal of the century???: http://www.handzone.net/asp.net/main.news/news.aspx?id=54137
A flurry of recent news articles on British Handball reinforce the premise that handball development is rarely a straight line march towards respectability. The British women wrapped up their Euro 2010 qualification campaign with a respectable showing in Glasgow against Austria (23-17 loss) and a crushing defeat against France in Lille (34-15). The match in Glasgow, complete with bagpipes was closely fought until the final 15 minutes. With Austria needing a win to keep their qualification hopes alive this was no „Friendly“ match and Britain was justified in seeing this result as a sign of resilience following an embarassing 20 goal loss to Iceland in April. Unfortunately, they weren‘t able to follow up with a respectable score line against France on Sunday, but overall they have to be pleased with the progress shown in their 6 pool play matches.
The British men are gearing up for Euro 2012 qualification. Later this month they will host Cyprus, Estonia and Bulgaria in a 4 team round robin with the winner qualifying for group play throughout the 2010-2011 season. These 3 opponents are bottom tier European Handball nations and as host Britain could have a shot at qualifying. This past Friday they notched their first win against a European side in 4 years with a 26-24 win against Belgium in Brussels. The next day, however, an injury depleted side lost to the same team 36-22. Injuries are part of the game, though, in this poor result suggest that Britain lacks depth and may not be quite ready to take the next step.
For more on the British team check out these articles and in particular the BBC video feature on British Women‘s Captain Lynn McCafferty. This 8 minute story highlights the sacrifices she‘s making to pursue her Olympic dream and includes highlights of Britain‘s match vs Austria.
THN (3 Nov 09): British Men participate in 4 Nations Tournament in Luxembourg; Ireland and Scotland take part in EHF Challenge Cup: https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.862
THN (5 Apr 10): British women with disappointing results against Iceland: https://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.994
British Handball (28 May 10): GB Men Beat Belgium as Euro 2012 Build-Up Continues: http://fastbreak-handballnews.blogspot.com/2010/05/gb-men-beat-belgium-as-euro-2012-build.html
VIDEO: BBC (28 May 10): Mr & Mrs Handball sacrifice married life for Olympic goal: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/handball/8709253.stm
British Handball (28 May 10): McCafferty: I'm Proud of the Team: http://fastbreak-handballnews.blogspot.com/2010/05/mccafferty-im-proud-of-team.html
British Handball (28 May 10): Coach: GB were Passionate, Dedicated and Motivated: http://fastbreak-handballnews.blogspot.com/2010/05/coach-gb-were-passionate-dedicated-and.html
British Handball (29 May): Depleted GB Men Lose Out to Belgium: http://fastbreak-handballnews.blogspot.com/2010/05/depleted-gb-men-lose-out-to-belgium.html
British Handball (30 May 10): Euro 2010: GB Women Take on World No 2: http://fastbreak-handballnews.blogspot.com/2010/05/euro-2010-fra-v-gbr.html
Here‘s the the direct link to the full match for yesterday‘s Champions League Final. If you want to watch the match without knowledge of the outcome I strongly recommend that you have someone else click on the link, hit the play button and select full screen. The EHF has unfortunately posted a picture with the winner celebrating for the video link. Try as I might with a sheet of paper blocking, I was unable to click without seeing the obvious result. Additionally, as there are other videos with extraneous information pointing to the winner, you‘ll need to keep the video in full screen mode to avoid seeing clues as to the winner.
Champions League Final Video (Full Match): http://www.ehftv.com/final4/ec/cl/men/2009-10/video/001088
Last Saturday, I recorded the Town Hall meeting held during the USA Team Handball National Championships. USATH GM Steve Pastorino and Board Chairman Dieter Esch spoke for about 25 minutes to around 50 members in attendance. A few details concerning U.S. National Team planning were revealed/confirmed. Resources are focused on 2016 Olympic qualification, but U.S. players will be allowed to self-finance an attempt for 2012 qualification. The first step in that process will be qualification matches vs. Canada later this year. It was also announced that there are preliminary plans for a USA match prior to the 17 July, Poland-Germany match in Chicago.
After the meeting I sat down for a short interview with David Thompson, the Men’s Athlete’s Advisory Council (AAC) Representative. As the AAC rep David also sits on the Board of Directors. During the interview David expresses his “total disagreement” with the Board decision to not provide financial support for 2012 Olympic qualification.
USA Federation Town Hall Meeting (21:07): https://teamhandballnews.com/request69.html (Left click to play/right click to download)
Interview with David Thompson: (22:57): https://teamhandballnews.com/request70.html (Left click to play/right click to download)
This coming weekend is easily the best weekend of the year for Handball fans in parts of the world where there is no TV coverage of the sport. That’s because the EHF through their webtv platform will be broadcasting live all four matches from the Champions League Final Four in Cologne. The Chekov Medvedi – Barcelona semifinal will start at 3:30 PM Central European Time and the 2nd semifinal between Kiel – Ciudad Real will start at 6:00 PM. This time difference is 6 hours to the U.S. East Coast and 9 hours (breakfast time) to where I live. The EHF has already started posting videos with interviews conducted by Tom Ó Brannagáin, who will be providing English language commentary for all four matches.
If for some reason, you are out and about this weekend the games will also be available on demand. Generally, the EHF posts them a few hours after the match, but sometimes there’s a 24 delay. And be forewarned, if you want to watch without knowing the outcome you might want to open the webpage with a sheet of paper handy and a glazed look to avoid finding out who wins. Last year, I was very disappointed to see a Ciudad Real player hoisting the trophy on the lead in picture. I’ve been told they won’t do that again, but it won’t hurt to be cautious just in case.
And for what likely will be an unusual perspective on the Final Four you also might want to check out a blog by an American relatively new to the sport. Mary Chapman is a recent graduate of Rice University and actually won a scholarship to go to Europe and learn more about Handball. A scholarship to go to the Final Four? Where do I apply for next year?
ehfTV: www.ehftv.com
Final Four Handball Blog: http://usateamhandball.org/blogs/blog-for-mary-chapman
Courtesy of Kenn Tomasch, my play by play partner for last weekend’s championship game, here’s the goal at the end of overtime that put New England in the final. Not sure what #10, Piotr Gospodarzec, the second player on the left in NYC's wall was thinking. His hands are up in a V shape, almost inviting Marco Betsch to shoot there.
Video: http://www.kenn.com/the_blog/?p=3253
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During a break in the action at last weekend’s National Championships, USA Team Handball (USATH) Chairman, Dieter Esch and board member, Jeff Utz sat down with me for a nearly hour long interview/discussion. The interview is focused on USATH’s relations with other handball organizations (IHF, PATHF, HBL, etc) and the upcoming Germany-Poland friendly match that will take place on July 17th in Chicago.
In the wide ranging discussion, Mr. Esch doesn’t hesitate to express his opinion and notably he candidly expresses his dissatisfaction with IHF President, Mr. Hassan Moustafa in regards to his private consulting contract with the IHF’s TV partner, as well as a lack of business sense in regards to emerging markets.
THN (23 Jan 10):IHF President Moustafa had lucrative private contract with IHF’s TV partner: Link
THN (10 Feb 10): IOC President Rogge comments on Moustafa’s contract with Sportfive: Link