Alex Gavrilovic: a true fighter for the global progress of handball (Part 2 of 3)

This is a continuation from an earlier installment. Here the focus is mostly on the current situation in Australia and Oceania.

It is then an interesting coincidence that the Australian women’s team is right now going through their final preparations for the women’s world championship in China. So before we get into today’s interview segment, you may want to try this link to an article on the Australian federation’s web site: http://www.handballaustralia.org.au/National%20Womens%20Team.html#Team Naturally, we wish our Aussie friends the very best of luck in this tough competition!

[i]CA: Having continued to play a key role both in your country and in the region, you took over as President of the Australian Handball Federation in 2006. You recently had to resign from that post, due to your upcoming engagement in London. From that perspective, how would you describe overall the current status of handball in Australia? [/i]

AG: As I noted earlier, the overall status of handball in Australia is still that of a “minor” sport. Participation levels have increased overall, particularly in schools, however, this is not translating into significant junior numbers outside the school system. Handball clubs around Australia remain small and composed of dedicated but under-resourced athletes. The State and National teams are remaining competitive but struggle to get financial support, therefore, athlete “burn-out” occurs, particularly in financial terms, with athletes being asked to contribute too much of their own money in support of their national and international competition

[i]CA: What are the stronger aspects and what are the ones that need particular attention?[/i]

AG: Our strongest aspect is that we have a small but dedicated AHF Board, which, although amateur, provides effective leadership for the sport. As a result, local club and State competition tends to be well run although it is low-budget and low profile. We have some excellent athletes competing but, again, the selection pool is small, therefore, it is difficult to send 16 high-quality athletes to international competition and therefore difficult to be truly competitive on the world scene.

Handball in Australia still needs to reach the “tipping point” to become an established broad participation sport. The link between school handball and club handball is still weak or missing. Proper funding of talent identification, elite athlete development, elite training facilities and access to sports science, “institute” programs, regular high level international competition, etc. are still elements that need attention. Australia organises regular international events which are well-run but remain low profile. In summary: more effort is required in broad participation development, elite athlete development and programs and achieving appropriate funding for the sport.

[i]CA: As in so many other sports, Australian handball is affected by its geographic isolation; are there any real ways of compensating for this handicap?[/i]

AG: Yes there is. Clearly the “major” sports of Rugby and Cricket, for example, are continuing to grow and attract teams from around the world. Their advantage is that they have the membership, profile and exposure which ensures sponsorship and funding levels that can sustain events for which the high cost of travel to and from Australia can be overcome. Ultimately, proper funding can compensate for the handicap.

In the meantime, attracting “major” handball nations to Australia for competition is still problematic due to the high cost of coming to Australia, related to our distance from the rest of the handball world. I don’t know that I can “blame” the IHF for that nor that we can expect the IHF to assist us to overcome this issue directly. However, I know that the IHF is keen for Australia to host a World Championship in due time, therefore, there will be another opportunity for the IHF to support the development of the sport in this way.

[i]CA: Also as in other sports, while struggling with its own development and resources, Australia tends to be needed as the ‘engine’ for other countries in Oceania; how do you see the overall development in recent time in Oceania and what can Australia do in this regard?[/i]

AG: I have already indicated that there has been a resurgence of international competition within Oceania and this has proven to be a real boost for us and the other nations in the region. However, issues related to the leadership of the Oceania Handball Federation have, in my opinion, held the development of the sport at a regional level back for many years. I am pleased to say that the Oceania Handball Federation has recently been restructured, new officials elected and a new Constitution adopted. The IHF have made an even stronger commitment to support international events as a result. The current AHF President, Paul Smith, has been elected to the Presidency of the Oceania Handball Federation, to use his words: “at the insistence of the other Oceania nations”, so you can see that Australia is seen very much in a leadership role.

[i]CA: In soccer, Australia decided to join Asia. (And now we have the effect that Australia has qualified for the 2010 World Cup as one of the Asian representatives, while New Zealand just qualified from Oceania.) Has the same idea ever come up in handball? [/i]

AG: Football in Australia is enjoying a great revival. (even to the common use of the name “football” rather than “soccer”!) It has for a long time been a major participation sports in Australia, but this was not reflected in the sport’s profile or international performance. The recent changes, including better structure at the peak, more funding, a new national competition, commitment to elite level performance etc., have been reflected in the national team’s improved results. This of course has re-invigorated public interest. It is still behind Rugby but getting stronger every year. The national team’s exposure to the Asian competition has significantly lifted performance.

There was an idea to emulate Australian football by having Australian handball join the Asian handball zone. This proposal was rejected by the Asian Handball Federation. I sense a fear that Australian handball will eventually improve like it has in many sports and result in a dominant Australia at the cost of other Asian teams in qualifiers for World Championships and so on. The advantage of not being a member of Asia is that there is a direct Oceania handball spot for World Championships which Australia can fill due to its dominance in the region. Whilst I understand the benefits of more competition via the Asian zone, the reality is that Australia would struggle to qualify for World and Olympic Championships via this zone and therefore, having an Oceania place remains very important and valuable to Australia at this time.

Asian Women’s Championships (Final Results)

The Asian Women’s Championships are over and as expected South Korea took the title with a 35-23 victory over China. In the 3rd place game Japan easily beat host Thailand 39-16. In the 5th place game Kazakhstan secured the last Asian ticket to the 2009 World Championships with a 43-18 victory over Vietnam.

Now that the tournament is over the big question will be whether any of the teams can go home. Protestors have shut down the two major commerial airports near Bankok for several days stranding thousands of tourists. Various news reports indicate that countries are sending official airplanes to undisclosed airports to bring home stranded travelers, so this could be the route some of the teams are taking.

Final Ranking
1) South Korea (Qualify for WC 2009)
2) China (WC 2009 Host)
3) Japan (Qualify for WC 2009)
4) Thailand (Qualify for WC 2009)
5) Kazakhstan (Qualify for WC 2009)
6) Vietnam
7) Iran
8 ) India
9) Uzbekistan
10) Qatar

An interesting side note is the participation of the Iranian women in the tournament. Having previously read news accounts of Iranian women protesting for simply the right to attend soccer matches as spectators I was surprised to see them participating as athletes in a tournament. Apparently, one of the conditions of participation is for the team to be fully garbed from head to toe. Note this picture from an Iranian website:
http://www.payvand.com/news/08/nov/1263.html of the Iranian team practicing. Additional note: Qatar also wears similar uniforms

Complete Tournament Results in extended post

11/21 (Fri)
A South Korea 57 – 26 Uzbekistan (31-10)
A Kazakhstan 41 – 18 Iran (21- 5)
B Thailand 34 – 23 Qatar (17- 8)
B China 42 – 12 India (21- 5)

11/22 (Sat)
A Japan 47 – 14 Uzbekistan (21- 3)
A Korea 32 – 29 Kazakhstan
B China 38 – 14 Qatar
B Vietnam 29 – 27 India

11/23 (Sun)
A Japan 42 – 20 Iran (21- 8)
B Thailand 29 – 20 Vietnam

Mon. 24-11
B IND X QAT 18-13 37-23
A KAZ X UZB 19-04 42-12
A KOR X IRI 22-07 48-15
B CHN X VIE 26-10 54-19

Tue.25-11
A JPN X KAZ 15-09 31-23
B THA X IND 22-13 42-32

Wed.26-11
A UZB X IRI 12-17 26-29
A KOR X JPN 22-11 39-27
B CHN X THA 19-11 35-16
B QAT X VIE 07-20 22-38

Group A Final Standings
1) South Korea (4-0-0) 8 Pts 176 97 +79
2) Japan (3-0-1) 6 Pts 147 96 +51
3) Kazakhstan (2-0-2) 4 Pts 135 93 +42
4) Iran (1-0-3) 2 Pts 82 157 -75
5) Uzbekistan (0-0-4) 78 175 -97

Group B Final Standings
1) China (4-0-0) 8 Pts 169 61 +108
2) Thailand (3-0-1) 6 Pts 121 110 +11
3) Vietnam (2-0-2) 4 Pts 106 132 -26
4) India (1-0-3) 2 Pts 39 108 136 -28
5) Qatar (0-0-4) 0 Pts 82 147 -65

11/28 (Fri)
Korea 38 – 17 Thailand
China 29 – 28 Japan (12-14)

11/29 (Sat)
9th Place Uzbekistan 10 – Qatar Qatar forfeit
7th Place Iran 34 – 30 India
5th Place Kazakhstan 43 – 18 Vietnam

11/30 (Sun)
1st Place Korea 35 – 23 China
3rd Place Japan 39 – 16 Thailand

Sources:
Asian Handball Federation: http://www.asianhandball.com/menu/Chapmionships/drawwomenthai.htm
Japanese Handball Federation: http://www.handball.jp/games/2008/12_asia_w/results.html#1130

Asian Women’s Championships (Results through day 3)

The Asian Women’s Championships started last Friday and will conclude next Sunday. The top 4 places will qualify for the 2009 World Championships in China next December. As China is host of the World Championships their performance in the tournament will not count towards the top 4 places.

The draw for the tournament resulted with a very strong Group A and a relatively weak Group B. In Group A, South Korea is the obvious favorite, and Japan and Kazakhstan will likely battle it out the other semifinal birth. In Group B, China will likely win the group and host Thailand appears to have a leg up on the 2nd place slot.

The semifinal winners will qualify for the World Championships. Additionally, as there are 4 Asian spots and China’s place won’t count, the 5th place game between the 3rd place teams in each group will be for the 4th ticket. In all likelihood that match will pit either Kazakhstan or Japan against a weak Vietnam, Qatar or India side. So if form holds, the 4 teams taking the Asian Bids for the world Championships will be South Korea, Japan, Kazakhstan and Thailand.

11/21 (Fri)
Group A
South Korea 57 – 26 Uzbekistan (31-10 )
Kazakhstan 41 – 18 Iran (21- 5)

Group B
Thailand 34 – 23 Qatar (17- 8 )
China 42 – 12 India (21- 5)

11/22 (Sat)
Group A
Japan 47 – 14 Uzbekistan (21- 3)
Korea 32 – 29 Kazakhstan

Group B
China 38 – 14 Qatar
Vietnam 29 – 27 India

11/23 (Sun)
Group A
Japan 42 – 20 Iran (21- 8 )

Group B
Thailand 29 – 20 Vietnam

Group A Standings (Thru Sunday’s games)
1) Japan (2-0-0) 4 Pts 89 34 +55
2) South Korea (2-0-0) 4 Pts 89 55 +34
3) Kazakhstan (1-0-1) 2 Pts 70 50 +20
4) Iran (0-0-2) 0 Pts 38 83 -45
5) Uzbekistan (0-0-2) 40 104 -64

Group B Standings (Thru Sunday’s Games)
1) China (2-0-0) 4 Pts80 26 +54
2) Thailand (2-0-0) 4 Pts 63 43 +20
3) Vietnam (1-0-1) 2 Pts 49 56 -7
4) India (0-0-2) 0 Pts 39 71 -32

Asia Update: AHF cancels fines; Pakistan and China take Gold in Beach Handball

The Asian Handball Federation (AHF) has withdrawn the fines they imposed on the South Korean and Japanese Federations for their participation in the International Handball Federation’s (IHF) Olympic Qualification Replay Tournaments. The AHF had fined those Federations $1,000 each for participating in the non AHF sanctioned events. Speaking to the Mainichi Daily News, Japanese Handball League Organization President, Yoshihide Watanabe, implied that things had been patched up telling the Mainichi Daily News, "I think the matter was settled amicably."

The AHF also wrapped up a successful Beach Handball Tournament as part of the first ever Asian Beach Games. To the best of my knowledge this is the first Continental multi-sport Olympic style event held for beach games. Handball was one of 19 disciplines that were contested on the island of Bali in Indonesia. Some non-traditional handball powers carried home some medals. Pakistan beat Kuwait for the Men’s Gold medal, while Thailand edged Qatar for the Bronze. On the Women’s side, China beat Thailand for Gold, while Taiwan beat India for Bronze.

Mainichi Daily News: “Asian Handball Federation withdraws fines over 'whistle of the Middle East' outcry”: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20081024p2a00m0na001000c.html

Asian Beach Games Handball Results: http://results.bali2008.com/showresults.asp?lang=en-gb&sport_id=16

AHF Fines Bahrain $15,000 and Excludes Team from 2010 Asian Championship

According to the Gulf Daily News, the Asian Handball Federation (AHF) has fined the Bahrain Handball Federation (BHF) for the forfeiture of their 5th place game against Qatar at last months Asian Handball Championship. Bahrain refused to play the match to protest the alleged fixed match between Iran and Kuwait which resulted in Bahrain placing 3rd in their pool and being eliminated from the semifinals.

In addition to the $15,000 fine the BHA is also being fined for a portion of the tournament costs and will not be allowed to participate in the next championship in 2010. The BHA is reviewing their options and no decision has yet been made concerning the payment of any fines.

Gulf Daily News Article: http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=211236&Sn=SPOR&IssueID=30357
Earlier Team Handball News Article: http://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.466

Bahrain Coach: “What We Saw is not Sport”

Details concerning the controversial Iran-Kuwait match at the Asian Handball Championships are starting to emerge. Among the developments reported in the Gulf Daily News of Bahrain:

– Bahrain’s Coach, Borut Macek of Slovenia, candidly describes the match by saying “What we saw is not sport. If those players did not feel bad about what they did, then I think that they are not good sportsmen.”
– Coach Macek highlights that an Iranian pair officiated their earlier match against Kuwait. This was clearly an error in selection as it is standard practice to assign officials from a neutral country (i.e., a pair from one of the nations in the other group).
– Bahrain is considering a letter to the IOC concerning this issue
– Bahrain is planning to stage a protest outside the Kuwaiti Embassy next Monday
– In a sign that pressure is being applied behind the scenes, Asian Handball Federation (AHF) technical director has Nahar Al Asfoor resigned from his post.

Meanwhile, the Korea Times reports that South Korea, Japan, and China will meet next month in Beijing to discuss a break away Asian Federation.

Gulf Daily News Articles
Bahrain Victim of Kuwait Ploy: http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=210061&Sn=SPOR&IssueID=30345
Match Row Rally on Way: http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=210049&Sn=BNEW&IssueID=30345

Korea Times Article
S. Korea Drubs Kuwait in Handball Grudge Match:
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/02/136_19720.html

Men’s Asian Handball Championships: Final Results

South Korea easily defeated Kuwait 27-21 to win the Men’s Asian Handball Championship. In doing so, they added weight to the allegations that the Olympic Qualifier match played last Fall (a 28-20 Kuwait victory) had been fixed by the officials. In the bronze medal game Saudi Arabia edged out host Iran 24-23. Saudi Arabia joins South Korea and Kuwait as Asia’s 3 representatives to the World Championship next January in Croatia.

Final Standings
1) South Korea
2) Kuwait
3) Saudi Arabia
4) Iran
5) Qatar
6) Bahrain (Pending AHF decision on their forfeiture of the 5th place match)
7) Japan
8 ) China
9) United Arab Emirates
10) Lebanon

More Shenanigans in Asia?

South Korea and Kuwait both won their semifinal matches yesterday so these two rivals will meet on Tuesday in a rematch of their controversial Olympic Qualifier. While this match will technically have no bearing on the upcoming International Court of Arbitration for Sports (ICAS) ruling on whether the results of the first or second Olympic Qualification Tournament should stand, the outcome of this match will give one side some measure of vindication.

But while the ICAS ruling will resolve one controversy a new controversy appears to be brewing. News reports from the Gulf States indicate that Bahrain is deeply upset with the outcome of the Iran – Kuwait match on the last day of Group Play. Buried in an article of the Arab Times of Kuwait, it’s mentioned that the Bahrain Handball Association was fined $200,000 for a fight with the Kuwaiti team following the Kuwait – Iran Group match. On the official webpage of the Asian Handball Championships, the 5th place game scheduled for today between Bahrain and Qatar has no score listed, implying that the game never took place. And finally, the Gulf Daily News of Bahrain is now reporting that Bahraini clubs will meet on Tuesday to decide whether they should sever their ties with the AHF.

Why would Bahrain be so upset after this match?

Well consider the math, which no one can dispute:
– Bahrain had already completed Group play with 6 points. (3 victories: China, Lebanon, and Iran; 1 Loss: Kuwait)
– Kuwait had 6 points (3 victories: China, Lebanon, Bahrain; and no losses)
– Iran had 4 points (2 victories: China, Lebanon; and 1 loss: Bahrain

Therefore, if Iran were to lose or draw the match, Bahrain would secure 2nd place in the group and a berth in the semifinals. If, however, Iran were to beat Kuwait, the standings would have resulted in a 3 way tie between Kuwait, Iran and Bahrain with the next tie breaker being goal differential for the matches between the 3 teams in question. Going into the match the goal differential standings were

Kuwait +2
Bahrain -1
Iran -1

Therefore, the following results were possible:

Iran (win by 1): Kuwait (+1), Iran (0), Bahrain (-1)
Iran (win by 2): Iran (1), Kuwait (0) Bahrain (-1)
Iran (win by 3): Iran (2), Kuwait (-1), Bahrain (-1) [Next tiebreaker is total offensive goals]
Iran (win by 4 or more): Iran (3), Bahrain (-1), Kuwait (-2)

So if Iran and Kuwait were to conspire on the final score, there’s only one possible outcome (Iran win by 1) that would allow Kuwait to keep 1st place (and avoid Korea in the semifinals), put Iran in 2nd place and send the Bahraini team home. The same Bahraini team that sided with South Korea and Japan on the Olympic Qualifier controversy. And that was the final outcome of the game.

How did events unfold?

This is where the dispute lies and we have yet to see any formal reporting on the match itself. Unconfirmed reports indicate that Kuwait was leading 31-25 with 6 minutes remaining before Iran went on a 10-3 run to pull out a miraculous come from behind victory 35-34 victory. And the most inflammatory claims are that the Kuwaiti goalie appears to have purposely allowed goals and that other Kuwaiti players purposely allowed turnovers to help Iran in their comeback.

Commentary: Undoubtedly, this is only the beginning of yet another controversy in Asia. And once again without video proof, it’s impossible to determine the legitimacy of these claims. Let’s hope that someone takes advantage of you tube.com to post video to dispel the rumors. Let the whole world see the last six minutes, so they can decide for themselves.

Arab Times:
http://www.arabtimesonline.com/kuwaitnews/pagesdetails.asp?nid=12814&ccid=10

Gulf Daily News Article: http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=209867&Sn=SPOR&IssueID=30343

Official Asian Handball Championship Webpage: http://www.asianhandball2008.com/Table.html

Asian Handball Championships (Semifinalists Set)

Group play is over at the Men’s Asian Handball Championship and 4 semifinalists will now battle it out for Asia’s 3 tickets to the 2009 Men’s World Championships. In the final match Friday, host Iran needed a victory over defending champion Kuwait in order to advance. The hosts eked out a 35-34 victory creating a 3 way tie for first place with Kuwait, Iran and Bahrain all level at 6 points a piece. As Kuwait beat Bahrain, Bahrain beat Iran, and Iran beat Kuwait, the tiebreaker came down to goal differential in their 3 head to head competition. Proving that every goal counts in group play the final standings were

Kuwait (+1)
Iran (0)
Bahrain (-1)

So for group A, Kuwait finishes 1st in the Group, Iran takes 2nd, and Bahrain is 3rd.

In Group B, South Korea won all four of its matches to take 1st place. Saudi Arabia, courtesy of their victory over Qatar finished in 2nd place. Qatar which had qualified for the 2005 Championships finished 3rd and Japan, which had tied Saudi Arabia earlier, finished in 4th place. The United Arab Emirates was winless and took 5th place in the Group.

Seminal Matches for Sunday, February 24
Kuwait vs. Saudi Arabia
South Korea vs. Iran

[b]Where’s Yoon?: [/b] Korean star Kyung-Shin Yoon scored 15 goals on Wednesday night, but he was no where near Isfahan, Iran. Instead of playing for South Korea he was helping his club side Hamburg win a key Champions League match against Portland San Antonio. According to German media reports, Yoon and his club Hamburg had disagreed on his participation in the Asian Olympic qualifier in Japan. Speculation is that he is not testing Hamburg’s good graces and the importance of the Champions League matches are taking priority. Additionally, Yoon has indicated that he will probably retire at the end of the season and therefore would not participate in Croatia. Finally, as Korea has shown they can probably place 1st-3rd without his services

[b]Olympic Qualifier Rematch?:[/b] Both South Korea and Kuwait will need to take care of business in the semifinals, but the Championship game could very well be a rematch of the controversial Olympic Qualifier. The IHF has had control of the tournament and a Ukrainian and Russian pair have been officiating many of the matches. One of those pairs will surely officiate the semifinals and final, so in theory there should be no bias in those matches.

Official Site Results: http://www.asianhandball2008.com/Match.html

AHF Yields to IHF Pressure/ ICAS to Settle Olympic Dispute

The Asian Handball Federation (AHF) has agreed to let the IHF have the final say for officiating assignments at the upcoming Asian Handball Championships. In a letter to the Bahrain Handball Association obtained by the Gulf Daily News the IHF stated the following, “We are happy to inform you that IHF received a letter from AHF where they clearly and unconditionally accept the IHF stipulations.. We are currently preparing the travel and visa arrangements for the IHF representative, delegate and referees."

The Gulf Daily News further states that the earlier articles detailing past transgressions in Asia appearing in their newspaper helped influenced the IHF’s decision to threaten to stage an alternative Asian Qualifier for the 2009 World Championships in Croatia. As previously reported here the IHF actually released a statement indicating that the Championships scheduled for Iran next week would not be recognized by the IHF.

As far as the Olympics Qualifiers are concerned the Kyodo News service of Japan is now reporting that the IHF and AHF have mutually agreed to have the issue be resolved by the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS). As the Women’s Olympic Qualification Tournaments are scheduled for March 28-30, the ICAS will need to move quickly to resolve the issue in time to determine the Asian participants in these tournaments.

Gulf Daily News: http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=208583&Sn=SPOR&IssueID=30330
Kyodo News: http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstStory/index.php?storyid=362501
2008 Asian Handball Championships Website: http://www.asianhandball2008.com/

AHF-IHF Confrontation Looms for Asian Handball Championships

The Asian Handball Federation (AHF) has imposed a fine of $1,000 on the South Korean and Japanese Handball Federations as punishment for taking part in the Olympic qualification replay tournaments. The fine was the maximum that could be imposed by the Executive Committee and the AHF has indicated that further action may be taken by the AHF Council. Additionally, both Japan and South Korea must pay their fine before they can participate in the Asian Handball Championship which start in Iran on 17 February.

South Korea and Japan have both indicated, however, that they will not pay the fine. Speaking to the Yonhap News Agency, Chung Hyung-kyun, vice president of the Korean Handball Federation said, “We will not pay one won in fine as any payment will be tantamount to acknowledging the rematches were wrong, although the amount of the fine is not so big," (Note: the won is the unit of currency in Korea). Earlier reports also indicated that the Korean and Japanese team would travel to Iran for the tournament without knowing whether they would be allowed to take the court.

The latest news reported in the Gulf Times of Qatar now reports that the IHF has intervened and formally notified the AHF that the IHF will not recognize the Asian Handball Championships as legitimate unless the IHF can directly appoint officials for matches at the tournament. And if the AHF does not relent, the IHF has indicated that they will organize a separate Asian Qualifier for the World Championships. As a result of this IHF action, South Korea and Japan may simply boycott the tournament next week in Iran.

Speculation is also ensuing that the rift in Asian Handball may lead to an East-West split. According to the Yonhap report Japan and South Korea are already considering starting a new federation and Kuwaiti Men’s Coach, Friis Hansen tells Handball-World that it was his opinion that “the Europeans saw a chance to split Asia and get rid of IHF-President Hassan Mustafa.” But, there appears to be at least some cracks in support among the Arab Gulf states as Bahraini officials have called AHF actions into question as well.

Also, unclear is whether the AHF will take or has taken action to have the case reviewed by the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS). With the most senior handball body, the IHF, ruling against the AHF on both the Olympic and World Championship Qualifying events, their only course to reverse the actions is probably through the ICAS. Taking the case to ICAS, however, could simply result in an independent 3rd party validating the IHF’s decision and calling further into question the actions of the AHF leadership in recent years.

ADDENDUM: The IHF has just released a notice on their website http://www.ihf.info/front_content.php?idcat=57&idart=1019 confirming that the tournament in Iran will not serve as the qualifier for the World Championship. And as a sign of the increasing tension the tone of the release makes no attempt to downplay the significance of this action and refers to the first olympic qualifiers as a "debacle."

Yonhap Korean News Service: http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/culturesports/2008/02/06/34/0702000000AEN20080206001800315F.HTML
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/culturesports/2008/02/10/99/0702000000AEN20080210002300315F.HTML

Gulf Times of Qatar: http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=200623&version=1&template_id=49&parent_id=29

The Peninsular of Qatar: http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Sports_News&subsection=Handball&month=February2008&file=Sports_News2008020763849.xml

Handball-World: http://www.handball-welt.de/o.red.c/news.php?GID=1&auswahl=13211

Japan Times: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/sp20080207a1.html

Bahrain Handball Official Speaks Out Strongly Against Asian Federation

[html] The Gulf Daily News in Bahrain, Mohammed Abul, has published two stories which allege that match fixing is nothing new for the Asian Handball Federation. The text of the articles is below.

Bahrain 'victim of match-fixing for 10 years'
By PATRICK SALOMON http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=207743&Sn=SPOR&IssueID=30321

BAHRAIN has been a victim of match-fixing in every continental handball competition for more than 10 years, it has been claimed.

Bahrain Olympic Committee member and former Asian Handball Federation (AHF) first vice-president Mohammed Abul says that cheating has been commonplace in all AHF-controlled tournaments since the appointment of current AHF president Sheikh Ahmed Al Fahad Al Sabah in 1993. The benefactors are usually the national team of Sheikh Ahmed's home country Kuwait and the next one or two "highest bidders".

"The AHF is corrupt," Abul told the GDN in an exclusive interview yesterday. "They like to use no-name referees, bribe them to manipulate match results and then pay them for the dirty work. Our national team has suffered many defeats because of this."

Abul noted that Bahrain had in the past been offered the same favours, but officials have always refused to pay any amount.

One of the main AHF competitions which has been rigged over the years is the Asian Men's Handball Championship. The tournament is the continent's premier event, and it acts as the qualifying competition for the world championships.

After 1993, Kuwait has won every single tournament, with exception to the 2000 competition when it did not take part.

Abul resigned from his AHF post after the arrival of Sheikh Ahmed.He has only decided to come forward now after the International Handball Federation (IHF) recently ordered that the upcoming Asian championships this month will be an IHF-supervised event.

"The right people are finally acting on the matter," he said. "It has gone neglected for too long."

A catalogue of referee errors
By PATRICK SALOMON
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=207751&Sn=SPOR&IssueID=30321

An analysis published by the IHF Playing Rules and Referees Commission (PRC) after the 2002 Asian Men's Championship, showed that there were plenty of officiating discrepancies in matches throughout the competition. Kuwait won the tournament, followed by runners-up Qatar and Saudi Arabia.Evidence of foul play in Asian handball is available in many forms, Bahrain Olympic Committee member Mohammed Abul says.

The proof ranges from official International Handball Federation (IHF) documents to previously broadcast match footage available on popular video-sharing website YouTube.

From one of the PRC reports made available by Abul to the GDN, a match between Bahrain and Qatar featured 16 refereeing mistakes in the first-half alone, and 13 of those mistakes were against Bahrain. "This proportion is so clear that there is an impression of an incorrect referee performance," said the report.

Another PRC report then indicated that the same referees later officiated a match between South Korea and Saudi Arabia in the same competition. A staggering 21 officiating errors were noted, 18 of which favoured the Saudis.

Based on the findings, the IHF recommended that the referees be suspended for three years, although it was later believed that the Asian Handball Federation (AHF) did not follow these orders.

Other evidence showed that during the Doha Asian Games in 2006, two referees from Kuwait who had been banned by the IHF were allowed by the AHF to officiate the semifinal match between South Korea and Qatar. The referees were said to have done their part with many questionable calls, and the hosts won 40-28.
[/html]

Asia Olympic Qualification Replay (South Korea Men Beat Japan)

[html] The South Korean Men beat Japan 28-25 in Tokyo to directly qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games. Japan will still have a longshot opportunity in an Olympic Qualification tournament in May, but they will likely need to beat Russia or Croatia in order to place 2nd and qualify through that route.

Meanwhile, mainstream media outlets are starting to report on the controversy surrounding the replays. Reuters reports that the Asian Handball Federation (AHF) will meet next week to decide on whether to expel South Korea and Japan for taking part in the replay tournament and whether to appeal to the International Arbitration Council. AHF President, Kuwaiti Sheikh Ahmad Fahad al-Sabah, who is also head of the Olympic Council of Asia, has also reportedly threatened to derail Tokyo’s bid for the 2016 Olympics as punishment. IOC President Jacque Rogge commented on the controversy yesterday saying that the IHF would not take sides in the dispute and that it should be resolved by the IHF’s rules for appeal.

On the positive side, the Korean Handball Movie, “Forever the Moment” could probably not have been released at a better time. Fed by the real world controversy the biopic on South Korea’s 2004 Women’s Team has been the top box office movie for 3 weeks.
Reuters Article: http://sport.guardian.co.uk/breakingnews/feedstory/0,,-7267279,00.html
Associated Press: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/olympics/wires/01/29/2080.ap.eu.spt.oly.handball.dispute.0410/index.html
Reuters Article on Korean Movie: http://uk.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUKSEO10310020080130?pageNumber=3&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true [/html]