Handball’s Popularity in North American & the CaribbeanCloseup: Handball’s Popularity in the Caribbean
Some Notes on Handball in North America and the Caribbean
As a resident of North American and a long time follower of the sport I feel that I’m in a pretty good position to assess the relative popularity of the sport in this hemisphere. At the bottom of this article is the rationale that was used to make this assessment and, for reference, it is the same methodology that was used to create similar assessments for Europe and Africa
Geography Lesson: You’ll notice that I haven’t color coded the Central American nations. This is because when the IHF split the old Pan American Team Handball Federation (PATHF) into two Confederations, Central America was grouped with South America to form the South & Central American Handball Confederation (SCAHC). While North America and the Caribbean were combined to form the North American & Caribbean Handball Confederation (NACHC). I’m not entirely sure why the split wasn’t made at the Panama-Colombia border, but I suspect the intent was to even up the total number of countries and to split up the nations very new to handball more equitably.
Soccer is not king: With the exception of Mexico the nations of this region do not put soccer on a pedestal above all other sports. Indeed in nations like the U.S., Canada and many of the Caribbean nations it’s further down in the pecking order. Why one even gets into debates as to whether it’s the 3rd, 4th or 5th most popular sport in the U.S. Many Caribbean nations have either baseball or cricket at the top. I know this seems quite strange to the rest of the world, but that’s just the way it is. And, isn’t it refreshing?
Greenland: It’s my assessment that Greenland is the only nation in the world where handball is the #1 team sport. I’ve heard that with the introduction of artificial turf fields that soccer is making some inroads, but for now handball is still king. If one saw the crowds at the 2018 Pan American Championships held in Greenland one got a sense of the hold this sport has on it’s 56,000 inhabitants. And, back in 2007 I heard and saw firsthand how this nation backs its team at a World Championship.
Martinique and Guadeloupe: These two Caribbean islands are outposts of France and have produced several French national team players including arguably the GOAT Defensive Specialist, Didier Dinart. Luckily for the nations of the NACHC there are no significant movements for these Departments to become independent nations… because if they did become independent they would both be instant medal contenders in NACHC competitions. They have entered competitions as associated members and club teams from Guadeloupe have beaten the U.S. national team in competition.
Olympic Channel Documentary on Didier Dinart: Includes visiting the abandoned house he grew up in and the dedication of a new arena named in his honor: Link
Cuba: After Greenland, Cuba is the one other NACHC handball nation where handball means something. This is evidenced by the significant number of Cubans that have played professionally overseas and in many cases played for their adopted new countries in international competition. It’s a long list with some notables being Carlos Perez, Rolando Urios, Rafael Capote, Frankis Marzo and Alfredo Quintana who tragically passed away earlier this year. For many years a Cuban athlete that played professionally overseas could no longer play for Cuba internationally. The good news/bad news story is that the Cuban government has changed the law and Cuban athletes can now leave Cuba for professional careers and still play for Cuba internationally. (Good news for Cuba… Not so good news for the rest of the NACHC.)
For many years I thought this Cuban handball success was mostly attributable to the the Cuban sports factory model manufacturing players for the national team. This, however, was a bad assumption and USA interim Women’s national team coach, Julio Sainz, set me straight in this interview from 2018 on handball in Cuba: Link
Minor, very minor or virtually non-existent: What’s the difference between handball being considered a minor, very minor or virtually non-existent sport?: For the rest of the nations in the NACHC that was essentially the question. As I’ve pointed out before in this series there are no hard metrics for these popularity assessments and the difference between minor and very minor is really debatable and open to opinion. I could make the case that handball is but a curiosity in every other remaining nation in the NACHC. In the end, largely based on relative population size, I decided that a couple of nations were more orange than red.
Canada: Over the years I’ve played or coached against handball teams from all over Canada and it’s always struck me that handball in the U.S. and Canada was pretty similar. That perspective, however, began to change with the development of youth programs and high school programs in the province of Alberta. Handball is still a minor sport there, but significant progress has been made. The other province where handball has a foothold is Quebec. Again, handball is not a huge sport, but it has a following in those two provinces. As far as the rest of Canada goes… it is pretty much like the U.S. In fact, if one were to color code the provinces of Canada, outside of Alberta and Quebec, the rest of Canada would be a see of red. It was a close call, but I decided that those two provinces boosted the country up to orange
Commentary on handball development efforts in Alberta and whether the U.S. should apply them: Link
Puerto Rico: Puerto Rico is another country that I was on the fence about in terms of red vs orange. Handball is not super huge there, but in terms of national team competitions they’ve punched way above their weight. Yes, this territory of the U.S. with 3M people has typically fared well in comparison to the U.S. (100 times bigger) and even qualified its women’s team for the 2015 World Championships. And, while the U.S. has bolstered its national teams with dual citizens Puerto Rico has relied on home grown talent. Finally, here’s some context for you. In a contest where both nations had to rely entirely on homegrown talent… I would bet on Puerto Rico. Take into account the relative population sizes and the reality that Puerto Rico is actually part of the U.S… and, you might be saying, “What the hell?”
Dominican Republic: I considered the Dominican Republic for orange status, but they missed the cut. They are also a smallish nation (10M), but have dropped in performance the last decade in national team competitions.
USA: No one has to tell me that the U.S. has a small, but very dedicated handball following. That said, in the context of a nation with 330M people, it really is a very, very small following. Further context: Outside of our handful of college programs the bulk of our club teams consist mostly of expat athletes from other countries. Even more context: Almost all of the players on our national teams (MenWomen) are either dual citizens that learned how to play the sport in another country or are products of quick fix, residency programs. I know this sounds negative… but, let’s be clear: it’s also our reality.
The positive spin: As we have been saying for years, handball is a sport Americans should love. Americans, by and large, have not rejected handball. The reality is that most Americans are unaware the sport even exists. The opportunities for growth at the grass roots levels are very real. And, that growth could be dramatic.
Mexico: Much like the U.S. handball in Mexico has a small, but dedicated following. I’ve seen and played against Mexican club teams a few times and the level of play is comparable to the U.S. Sometimes even better as this highlight video from the 2010 U.S. National Championships shows. (The graphics say Houston, but the team was actually mostly Mexican nationals.) However, with a sizable population of 128M people Mexican national teams have usually underperformed in national team competitions.
The Other Caribbean Nations: As far as the other Caribbean nations go there should be little doubt that handball in those countries is either very minor or virtually non-existent. To the IHF’s credit they are legitimately trying to grow the sport in these nations. With the IHF’s help nations like St Kitts & Nevis and Trinidad & Tobago have fielded teams in competitions for the very first time. Further, the IHF is also encouraging the development of beach handball which is a natural fit for these nations. For this map if a nation was an official member of the NACHC I classified that nation a red. If they weren’t even a member I classified that nation as white.
Overall Assessment: If you compare this popularity map to Europe or even Africa it clearly shows how far behind the sport is in this region and provides some understanding as why many see handball as mostly a European sport. There’s two ways to look at this situation. 1) We can pretend this isn’t the reality and try to mask the shortcomings as best we can or 2) We can view it as a tremendous opportunity for the sport’s growth. For many years, pretending or ignoring was essentially the strategy adopted by the handball world. Credit to the IHF, the Forum Club Handball (FCH) and others for starting to address the need for development. It won’t happen overnight, but I’m genuinely optimistic that this see of red will eventually turn orange and yellow. Check back in 5 years.
Where is handball popular?
How popular is handball compared to other sports?
Those are definitely a couple of questions that I’ve been asked quite a few times. In 2005 I tackled those questions in one of my very first blog posts. Back then it was often stated that handball was the 2nd most popular team sport. Well, it would be totally awesome if that were true, but alas it’s not… not even close. In fact, even in Europe where handball is most popular there are only a handful of countries where our sport definitely takes 2nd place.
Methodology (or the Lack of One)
As an engineer I generally prefer to deal with data as opposed to gut feelings and anecdotal information. For sure there are a lot of different criteria that one could use to measure popularity. Here’s a laundry list for you:
# of participants
# of registered federation members
# of clubs
Attendance at matches
Frequency of TV broadcasts and ratings
Existence of a professional league
The salaries of professional players
Interest in national team performance
Social media interest.
Each of those criteria have merit, but there are several problems.
This data is not readily available on a country by country basis
The accuracy of the data that is available is often suspect or open to interpretation
The relative importance of each criterion is wide open to debate
Bottom line: An exercise to carefully weigh all of these criteria in a systematic reliable way is pretty much impossible.
That being said in most cases it’s fairly easy to weigh all those criteria and to come up with a ranking of the top 3 sports in just about any country. And, a ranking that most objective sports fans of that country would agree on without a whole lot of debate.
There’s a couple of reasons why this is true.
In most countries there is one dominant team sport and that sport is football (soccer). Practically no one will even credibly argue against soccer’s dominance. So off the top, we’re now only talking about 2nd and 3rd place.
And, again in most (but, not all) countries, #2 is often pretty well established based on the criteria above. Even without hard numbers the answer is obvious to people that live there.
All this being said, there are some countries, however, where handball’s place in the pecking order is open to debate. A debate, for the reasons listed earlier is pretty hard to resolve. So, instead of resolving I’ve decided to use the lack of a resolution as a way to help classify the sport’s popularity.
Classification (Key)
Here’s a few notes on how I’ve classified popularity.
Definitely the 2nd most popular team sport:
Countries where handball is 2nd in a preponderance of the criteria
Either the 2nd or 3rd most popular team sport:
Countries where there could be a legitimate debate between 2 sports as to which is 2nd or 3rd
Countries where handball is clearly 3rd
A major sport with a significant presence
Countries where the ranking becomes muddled from 3rd place on down, but handball is still clearly a major sport that captures significant attention
A minor sport with some presence
Countries where the ranking becomes muddled from 3rd place on down, but Handball is more of a minor sport with a small, but dedicated following.
A very minor sport with a limited presence
Countries where the sport’s ranking is somewhat moot because it’s hard to compare perhaps the 6th or 7th most popular team sport. Overall, participation numbers are small and the sport is seen as a curiosity by most of the citizens of that country.
A sport that is practically non-existent
Countries where there are no national teams, leagues or clubs.
A few more thoughts
There is a rough pecking order from top to bottom. Blue is top; Green is next, etc.
This isn’t a perfect representation. And, one could argue for even more gradation. For instance, one could take the nations in yellow and create a rough pecking order.
What about individual sports? If you really wanted to further complicate matters we could add Formula 1, UFC and Tennis. I didn’t want to go there.
What do you think?
This compilation/depiction isn’t set in stone. It’s just one man’s opinion influenced by feedback. If I’ve missed the boat let me know via email or social media and I’ll reconsider updating the map.
Email: john.ryan@teamhandballnews.com Facebook: Link Twitter: Link Instagram: Link
Could a New Distribution of Olympic Qualification Slots be Coming?
Last Friday, (21 May 2021), European Handball Federation (EHF) President Michael Wiederer gave a wide ranging interview with the Mannhiemer Morgen, a newspaper in Germany. For the most part the interview covered topics directly pertaining to the pandemic and EHF competitions. However, I bulls-eyed in on a couple of questions pertaining to handball’s place on the world stage:
Mannheimer Morgen: You are the representative of European handball interests, recently more and more nations like Argentina, Brazil and Egypt have drawn attention to themselves. How do you rate that?
Wiederer: This development is important for the sport, especially for the international market value of handball. Because as long as we are a sport with a European character, the marketing opportunities remain limited. Many international corporations are not based in Europe. I therefore welcome developments on the other continents. It was a very important step to expand the World Cup to 32 teams.
Mannheimer Morgen: Because handball is so European, the Olympic status is discussed again and again. Are you concerned about this?
Wiederer: We don’t have to worry about this status any more or less than many other sports. We aroused great interest at the Olympic Games in Rio five years ago. But this is also about internationalization. The world association is trying to get more starting places for other continents, that would be at the expense of Europe. As you can see, this is also about a balance, about different interests in terms of the product and a possible narrowing to a few markets.
Great IHF Support, but no Olympic Ticket
What makes Wiederer’s response newsworthy is that to the best of my knowledge it was the first time in print that I’ve seen it publicly acknowledged that the IHF was considering a redistribution of Olympic slots and the logical impact that such a redistribution would have on European nations.
The IHF, of course, has made no secret of its desires to develop new markets in the U.S. and China. Steps taken to help the U.S. include:
The U.S. Development Project, headed by former EHF President, Jean Brihault that has provided some grant funding for the U.S.
The dissolution of the Pan American Team Handball Federation (PATHF) into two new confederations, the North American & Caribbean Handball Confederation (NACHC) and the South & Central American Handball Confederation (SCAHC).
Selecting the U.S. as the NACHC representative to the 2021 Men’s Handball World Championships when a competition couldn’t be held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But, while the PATHF split into the NACHC and SCAHC resulted in separate new qualification paths for the World Championships there has been so similar change announced regarding Olympic qualification. Both the NACHC and SCAHC were still grouped together for qualification via the 2019 PANAM Games.
And, anyone who follows handball in Pan America knows that presently it’s very unlikely that a NACHC nation will qualify for the Olympics via the PANAM Games. Any NACHC Men’s team hoping to qualify would likely have to beat both Brazil and Argentina, two nations that would likely be double digit favorites against any NACHC nation. For the women, it would mean beating Brazil and right now staying within 10 goals would be a major accomplishment for any NACHC women’s team. For reference Brazil beat the USA 34-9 in a 2019 semifinal.
But, if the NACHC were to be given its own slot? Well, that changes the equation entirely. Cuba would instantly become the NACHC favorite for both Men’s and Women’s Olympic Qualification, but the U.S. wouldn’t be far behind. And, every other NACHC nation that has been playing handball for awhile could also envision a legitimate shot at Olympic qualification.
How a Separate Olympic Qualification Slot Would Help the U.S.
For the U.S. a new Olympic Qualification path would likely lead to changes in terms of budget and budgetary priorities. For the past 20 years or so funding from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has been primarily tied to medal prospects. With the U.S. not even having realistic chances of qualifying for the Olympics this has resulted in minimal support from the USOPC. This could change with Olympic qualification suddenly being realistic and feasible as USA Team Handball could make a legitimate case that increased support in key areas could result in Olympic qualification.
In turn, it could also increase the quality and quantity of athletes pursuing handball in the U.S. Historically, one of the big enticements for athlete recruitment has been the possibility of being an Olympian some day. Indeed, at one time making a U.S. national team roster was tantamount to being an Olympian. Over time, however, as U.S. Olympic qualification prospects changed from likely to very unlikely this recruiting pitch became less effective as did the quantity and overall quality of the athletes recruited.
IOC Pressure and Potential European Backlash
It’s never been officially stated, but reportedly the IOC has expressed to the IHF its concerns about handball being too European. And, it has been rumored that this concern even included a warning about handball perhaps being taken off of the Olympic Programme. It’s hard to believe that handball would really be removed from the Olympics, but there is some validity to the underlying point of handball being too European. And, if a little IOC pressure has served as an impetus to put more focus on developing a U.S. handball market I sure won’t complain. And, I also wouldn’t complain about an Olympic slot being awarded to the NACHC as that would be a phenomenal development for the U.S. and the entire NACHC.
But, who would complain… and loudly? The European Handball nations; because in most instances it would result in a slot being taken away from a European side.
Current Olympic Qualification Slots
For reference, here is how the 12 Olympic slots are currently awarded for both the Men and Women:
Host Nation (1)
Reigning World Champion (1)
Europe (1)
Africa (1)
Asia (1)
Pan America (1)
Qualification Tournaments (6)
And, here is how the different continental federations have fared in the Olympic Qualification Tournaments since the current format was implemented in 2008.
2020 Olympic Qualification Tournaments
Men: Europe (5); Pan America (1)
Women: Europe (6)
2016 Olympic Qualification Tournaments
Men: Europe (5); Africa (1)
Women: Europe (6)
2012 Olympic Qualification Tournaments
Men: Europe (6)
Women: Europe (6)
2008 Olympic Qualification Tournaments
Men: Europe (6)
Women: Europe (5); Asia (1)
So, it hasn’t been a clean sweep for European nations, but it’s been close. If a slot were to be given to the NACHC it would likely remove a European team. A European team that would probably have made the quarterfinals and would have had a legitimate shot of medaling.
A Change in Time for 2024?
Because of the likely ramifications, I’m not very surprised that this hasn’t been publicly addressed by the IHF. It’s more often the sort of thing that’s discussed informally at coffee breaks and dinner parties. Not the sort of thing that gets promulgated until there’s an agreement in principle by the parties affected. Wiederer’s response in the interview is simply confirmation that this discussion has taken place and Europe is aware of it. Actually, likely been a party to the discussions since they would face the negative impacts.
However, if this change were to be made in time for the 2024 Olympics the clock is definitely ticking. Under the current qualification system the 2023 PANAM Games would again serve as qualification for the Olympics for the NACHC and SCAHC. That may be two years away, but qualification for the PANAM Games would start next summer with regional qualification in South, Central and North America. So, basically, just a year is available to change course and for the NACHC and SCAHC to come up with new separate qualification plans. This is doable, but action would be needed fairly quickly.
And, barring a change in time for 2024 one might wonder whether a change would be made for 2028. This is because the NACHC would already have a representative due to the U.S. hosting. Such a change would in fact result in 2 NACHC nations participating in the Olympics. Yes, given the sometimes glacial pace of change… this might end up being a change for the 2032 Olympics.
How to watch the Olympic Qualification Tournaments
If you live in a country where there is no TV broadcast the matches should be available on the IHF YouTube Channel. Those matches can be accessed here and I will be posting a daily preview with direct links to each match video (see below).
If you live in a country where there is a TV broadcast you may be geo-blocked out of accessing the IHF YouTube Channel. This is often the case even for matches that are not available on YouTube. It is, however, usually possible to watch matches using VPN. More information on how to use VPN; What I use) (Note: I would encourage handball fans to watch matches on TV when possible as usually get a better picture, but if there isn’t a TV broadcast available where you live… what else are you going to do?)
USA Residents: There is no USA TV broadcast and matches should be available on YouTube
Canadian Residents: The CBC will be live streaming the matches with English commentary: Link
Would you like to know when and where handball matches can be streamed online year round? If yes, follow Team Handball News on social media for regular updates: TwitterFacebookInstagram
While the U.S. and Canada have started Daylight Saving Time, Europe doesn’t start it until March 28. Because of this CET is currently 5 hours ahead of US ET. Odds courtesy of 10 Bet.
Tournament 1 Polideportivo Pla de l’Arc, Llíria, Spain)
Standings after Day 2
Argentina vs Spain (-10.5) (Sunday, 1930 CET / 1430 US ET) Video Link
Sweden beat Argentina by 13 yesterday and has qualified for Tokyo. Spain is also expected to have a big win, but on paper Argentina has a chance. If they can pull off an epic upset and beat Spain they will qualify for the Olympics.
Tournament 2 (Audi Aréna, Győr, Hungary)
Standings after Day 2
Serbia (-13.5) vs Kazakhstan (Sunday, 1730 CET / 1230 US ET) Video Link
This tournament has been decided and this match will simply determine who meaninglessly finishes in 3rd place.
Hungary vs Russia (-1.5) (Sunday, 2030 CET / 1530 US ET) Video Link
Includes English Language commentary with Paul Bray
Hungary and Russia have both qualified for Tokyo, but this match will determine seeding for the Olympic draw.
Montenegro (-0.5) vs Romania (Sunday, 1600 CET / 1100 US ET) Video Link
Includes English Language commentary with Paul Bray
On paper, Romania still has a chance to qualify for Tokyo, but they are in a big goal differential hole behind Montenegro and Norway. To guarantee qualification they have the tall task of beating hosts, Montenegro by 6 goals or more. (See below for scenarios.)
If Romania lose or win by 4 goals or less they will finish 3rd.
A Romania victory by exactly 5 goals could result in some interesting scenarios.
A 30-25 Romania victory would result in Romania and Montenegro qualifying and Norway staying home. (GF would be ROU: 54; MNE: 53; NOR: 52) Wins of 31-26, 32-27, etc. will have the same result.
A 29-24 Romania victory would result in Romania qualifying and Montenegro and Norway drawing lots. GF would be ROU: 53; MNE:52; NOR: 52
A 28-23 Romania victory would result in Romania and Norway qualifying and Montenegro staying home. (GF would be ROU: 52; NOR:52; MNE: 51) Wins of 27-22, 26-21, etc., will have the same result.
How to watch the Olympic Qualification Tournaments
If you live in a country where there is no TV broadcast the matches should be available on the IHF YouTube Channel. Those matches can be accessed here and I will be posting a daily preview with direct links to each match video (see below).
If you live in a country where there is a TV broadcast you may be geo-blocked out of accessing the IHF YouTube Channel. This is often the case even for matches that are not available on YouTube. It is, however, usually possible to watch matches using VPN. More information on how to use VPN; What I use) (Note: I would encourage handball fans to watch matches on TV when possible as usually get a better picture, but if there isn’t a TV broadcast available where you live… what else are you going to do?)
USA Residents: There is no USA TV broadcast and matches should be available on YouTube
Canadian Residents: The CBC will be live streaming the matches with English commentary: Link
Would you like to know when and where handball matches can be streamed online year round? If yes, follow Team Handball News on social media for regular updates: TwitterFacebookInstagram
While the U.S. and Canada have started Daylight Saving Time, Europe doesn’t start it until March 28. Because of this CET is currently just 5 hours ahead of US ET. Odds courtesy of 10 Bet.
Tournament 1 Polideportivo Pla de l’Arc, Llíria, Spain)
Standings after Day 1
Sweden (-8.5) vs Argentina (Saturday, 1815 CET / 1315 US ET) Video Link
Spain and Sweden played to a draw to open this qualifying tournament and now both of those teams will play Argentina and both will be favored to win by a significant margin. Because they tied, 1st and 2nd place will now likely be determined by whoever beats Argentina by more goals.
Tournament 2 (Audi Aréna, Győr, Hungary)
Standings after Day 1
Serbia vs Hungary (-1.5) (Saturday, 1730 CET / 1230 US ET) Video Link
Includes English Language commentary with Paul Bray
With Serbia losing yesterday as expected to Russia 29-24 this match is very likely to settle 2nd place in the tournament. Hungary easily beat Serbia 38-26 just a few months ago at the European Championships and is missing a key player in Andrea Lekic. But, as this IHF article suggests this is a different Serbian team and they know this is a pivotal match.
A Hungarian victory will qualify Hungary for Tokyo.
A Serbian victory will probably qualify Serbia, but it would have to await the outcome of the Hungary-Russia match on Sunday. A victory by Hungary over Russia would set up a 3 way tie that would be settled by goal differential.
Russia (-22.5) vs Kazakhstan (Saturday, 2030 CET / 1530 US ET) Video Link
Based on Hungary’s 27 goal victory over Kazakhstan yesterday, Russia should have no problems today.
Norway (-6.5) vs Romania (Saturday, 1930 CET / 1430 US ET) Video Link
Includes English Language commentary with Paul Bray
This match was supposed to confirm Norway’s status as the winner of the tournament, but thanks to Montenegro’s huge surprise 28-23 victory over Norway this is now the likely battle for 2nd place. Undoubtedly, Romania will be taking notes as to how Montenegro effectively slowed down Norway’s offense and will try to accomplish the same feat.
A Romanian victory will qualify Romania for Tokyo and will eliminate Norway
A Norway win will not guarantee them qualification as a Romanian victory over Montenegro on Sunday would set up a 3 way tie that would be settled by goal differential. Every plus goal improves Norway’s chances and a 6 goal victory would guarantee them qualification for Tokyo. Conversely, a win by just 1-3 goals would likely require a big Romanian victory over Montenegro. (see below for details)
3 Way Tie Scenarios
This chart depicts possible Goal Differential combinations. The first column shows the goal differential standings after yesterday’s game. The 2nd column shows what the standings after today’s Norway-Romania match based on different margins of victory. The 3rd column shows different possibilities after the 3rd and final match between Romania and Montenegro. Green = Qualification; Red = Eliminated and Yellow = Tied (with the next tiebreaker being offensive goals scored)
Would you like to know when and where handball matches can be streamed online? If yes, follow Team Handball News on social media for regular updates: TwitterFacebookInstagram
While the U.S. and Canada have started Daylight Saving Time, Europe doesn’t start it until March 28. Because of this CET is currently 5 just hours ahead of US ET. Odds courtesy of Bet MGM and/or OddsPortal.
A huge challenge for 5th place Dormagen as they host 1st place Hamburg, a team all but destined to get promoted to the 1st division
Liga ASOBAL (Spain)
Leon (-2.5) vs Granollers (Saturday, 1800 CET): Video Link***Postponed***
Drew Donlin plays defense and circle runner for Leon.
Leon took 2nd in the Copa del Rey and got a win mid-week win vs Cuenca (29-21). Currently in 6th place in the standings they take on 4th place Granollers. With just a point separating them a win could leap frog them into 4th place
Huesca (-8.5) vs Cisne (Saturday, 1930 CET): Video Link
Last Saturday Cannes played undefeated Belles-sur-Celles close for much of the game but ended up losing 17-25. They face another stiff challenge this week vs 2nd place Boulillargues.
HBF 2 (Germany)
TSV Nord Harrislee vs HSV Solingen-Gräfrath (Saturday, 1730): Video Link
This weekend the final 6 qualifiers for the Women’s Olympic Handball Tournament will be decided.
How to watch the Olympic Qualification Tournaments
If you live in a country where there is no TV broadcast the matches should be available on the IHF YouTube Channel. Those matches can be accessed here and I will be posting a daily preview with direct links to each match video (see below).
If you live in a country where there is a TV https://www.ihf.info/media-center/news/how-watch-tokyo-handball-qualification-2020-womens-tournamentsbroadcast you may be geo-blocked out of accessing the IHF YouTube Channel. This is often the case even for matches that are not available on YouTube. It is, however, usually possible to watch matches using VPN. More information on how to use VPN; What I use) (Note: I would encourage handball fans to watch matches on TV when possible as usually get a better picture, but if there isn’t a TV broadcast available where you live… what else are you going to do?)
USA Residents: There is no USA TV broadcast and matches should be available on YouTube
Canadian Residents: The CBC will be live streaming the matches with English commentary: Link
Would you like to know when and where handball matches can be streamed online year round? If yes, follow Team Handball News on social media for regular updates: TwitterFacebookInstagram
While the U.S. and Canada have started Daylight Saving Time, Europe doesn’t start it until March 28. Because of this CET is currently 5 just hours ahead of US ET. Odds courtesy of Odds Portal.
Tournament 1 Polideportivo Pla de l’Arc, Llíria, Spain)
Current Standings
Overview: This tournament was originally going to be 4 teams, but Senegal withdrew due to ongoing social and economic crisis. On paper Spain and Sweden are huge favorites to advance unless Argentina can pull off a big upset. It’s at least conceivably possible as Argentina played Sweden relatively close at the 2019 World Championships losing 30-23 (14-11).
Spain (-1.5) vs Sweden (Friday, 2100 CET / 1600 US ET) Video Link
Includes English Language commentary with Paul Bray
Barring an upset by Argentina later in the tournament this match will like determine seeding for the Olympic Tournament draw.
Tournament 2 (Audi Aréna, Győr, Hungary)
Current Standings
Overview: While this is a 4 team tournament on paper it’s hard to see Kazakhstan getting a win here. Russia is the defending Olympic Champion and they will be big favorites to advance. Hungary as the host of the tournament has the edge on Serbia and they also easily beat Serbia 38-26 just a few months ago at the European Championships.
Kazakhstan vs Hungary (-19.5) (Friday, 1700 CET / 1200 US ET) Video Link
Includes English Language commentary with Paul Bray
Hungary and Kazakhstan met at the 2019 World Championships and Hungary had an easy 39-15 victory.
Russia (-4.5) vs Serbia (Friday, 2000 CET / 1500 US ET) Video Link
Russia is a solid favorite over Serbia in this opening match.
Overview: This tournament was originally going to be in Norway, but had to be moved due to coronavirus restrictions there. It was also supposed to have an Asian Federation team, but one by one they dropped out due to challenges related to the pandemic. Norway, recent winners of the European Championships are the clear favorites and this means that a Montenegro-Romania showdown on Sunday will likely determine who gets the 2nd ticket. At the 2019 World Championships Montenegro edged Romania 27-26.
Norway (-4.5) vs Montenegro (Friday, 1930 CET / 1430 US ET) Video Link
Norway will have their status as favorites tested by the tourney hosts, Montenegro.
2020 Men’s Olympic Qualifiers: The West has Won. No Eastern European Nations. No Balkan Nations Either
Christer Ahl has retired from handball journalism and commentary, but I still get the occasional email from him regarding the latest competition. The latest missive sent last night was simply titled: “Remarkable” and started off like this:
“Never thought I would see it happen in my lifetime: all the European men’s team in the Olympics either Nordic or Latin; absolutely nobody from the Eastern part; Of course, many decades ago, Austria was the easternmost team where handball existed; but then the idea of Portugal playing handball, or even Spain…..”
Christer, who was involved with the IHF in one capacity or another from 1977 to 2009 has seen it all and indeed this is the first time there will be no nation from Eastern Europe participating in the Olympics. For that matter it joins 1992 as the only Olympics in which no nation from the former Yugoslavia has qualified. And, prior to that Yugoslavia participated in every Olympics from 1972 to 1988.
A Gradual Shift
Yes, indeed, if one looks at the 1970s and 1980s maps below the 2020 map does look a bit strange. It didn’t happen overnight and if one looks at the maps below, it’s been a gradual shift westward. There surely are a number of reasons this has occurred, but for the most part I think it mirrors the growing professionalism of handball in Western Europe and the corresponding decreasing state support to national team programs in Eastern Europe.
This doesn’t mean that handball isn’t being played in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. One just has to look at the rosters on pro clubs to see that isn’t true. But, what has changed over time has been the ability of Western European nations to develop better home grown talent. Gone are the days of club rosters totally reliant on ringers/jokers from Eastern Europe. For sure those ringers are still on rosters… but, they are more complimentary than dominant. They help bring up the overall quality of play which in turn develops more talent across the board.
Momentary Blip or a Trend for the Future?
So is this just a momentary blip or a trend for the future. I’m thinking it’s a blip, but only because Eastern Europe is looking more and more like Western Europe as the clubs and leagues become more commercialized. Poland and Hungary have decent leagues and top clubs like Szeged are building new arenas. The SEHA league is also enabling some of the clubs in smaller nations to get better competition. More talent will be able to stay home and that will trickle down and support the development of more in country talent.
European Nations Participating in Men’s Olympic Handball Competitions (1972-2020)
