I commented recently about the main conclusions from the IHF Forum regarding rules and refereeing. As I noted, it was generally felt that there is no need for major rules changes at this time, in order to make our handball more attractive. Indeed, the recommendations were more focused on trying to support the task of the referees through strengthened education and other means, something with which I agree fully.

Having scanned the handball media to look for reactions to the conclusions from the IHF Forum, I find only a modest number of comments, which may not be so surprising, considering that there were no earth-shattering proposals. However, the intention to investigate the scope for utilization of video reviews seems to gain general support, although with some words of caution. Some commentators note that we must take care to put limitations on any video review policy, so that it does not get the unintended and unwanted effect of interrupting the flow of the game through lengthy interruptions. Drawing on my experience with video review in the NBA, NHL and NFL here in USA, I can well understand and agree with those concerns.

Other comments involve the general dilemma of having different rules or regulations at different levels; clearly, video review is only feasible in games at those levels where TV broadcasting brings the availability of adequate camera coverage. So video review could never be part of the general rules for handball; it could only be part of the regulations for specific competitions. But this is a broader issue, because I have also noticed comments to the effect that one could have several ideas for changes in the rules, if one could have separate rules for the top level and for handball in general. However, as the commentators themselves note, this is generally not a good situation. We want to have clarity and consistency on the basis of uniform rules.

Of course, aspects that do not directly affect how the game is being played in a technical/practical sense could be a different matter, such as the length of the intermission, the tie-breaking procedures, the number of players used etc. But we have seen recent examples of how also such modifications can cause confusion. The IHF recently announced that, while the playing rules allow only up to 14 players in a game, the IHF would allow 16 players in World Championships and would support similar exceptions in high-level continental events. The rationale is that a World Championship may involve an intensive schedule with up to ten games in three weeks for a team, so it would then make sense to reduce the pressure by allowing all the 16 players on the squad to be used in each game. The same rationale would apply for instance in the European Championship tournament for national teams.

However, the EHF somehow also decided that the exception with 16 players should also be permitted in Champions League matches for clubs, even though this does not involve a tournament with a concentrated schedule. Apparently this created some confusion for other EHF competitions, because very quickly it happened that a team in one of the other club competitions also thought they could use 16, prompting a formal protest from the opponents. http://www.handball-planet.com/2010/10/hc-meshkov-brest-fined-5000-e/ And suddenly there were also doubts about what was the situation in the upcoming qualification games for the European Championships… These games are of course not played in a tournament format, so the initial rationale does not apply, but they are in a sense a part of the Championship. In the end, the EHF had to decide to allow 16 also here. http://www.eurohandball.com/article/13425 All this seems to confirm that any deviation from full uniformity can have its drawbacks and needs to be introduced more cautiously and with a clear logic.

The news reached me yesterday that Istvan Madarasz of Hungary had just passed away at the age of 76. Istvan was not only a key figure in Hungarian handball during many decades, serving as Secretary General of the handball federation during about 25 years. He was also an important figure on the international scene, more than many handball fans today realize. Istvan held the position as President of the IHF Medical Commission during almost 20 years. He demonstrated the technical knowledge of a true handball expert, but he was also a researcher and analytical expert, who was able to back up his opinions and ideas with the help of research and studies.

Istvan Madarasz also took a keen interest in the challenges involved in refereeing. He was ahead of many others in focusing on the psychological and physical dimensions. Although he did not have a direct role in the rules development, he managed to contribute on many occasions, with his own ideas and as an informal adviser to the IHF Rules Working Groups. I had reason to think about him quite recently, when I wrote my overview of rules changes in the past 30-40 years. In fact, I was always grateful to Istvan for the support he offered when I myself had some ideas for rules changes that needed the backing of a respected technical expert.

But people who came in contact with Istvan were always enjoying his friendliness and helpful attitude even if they did not need, or know about, his enormous technical expertise. Istvan had many reasons to be proud of his status and accomplishments, but the most striking thing about him was his modesty, his gentle personality and his winning smile. It was always a pleasure to meet him at some event and benefit from his wisdom but also simply to enjoy the pleasure of his company. Istvan Madarasz will be missed, but he should always be remembered as an important contributor to the development of our sport and as a true gentleman!

It is always risky to make predictions after just 6 rounds of 34, but it seems that only one major change has taken place in the Bundesliga since the 2009-10 season: last year the league really had only 9 strong teams out of 18, considering the huge 14-point gap from the 9th team to the 10th, but now the league probably consists of 10 serious teams… Magdeburg seems to have joined the top group, after have won three times in five matches against very tough opponents.

And then one has to point to the quick start of the Rhein-Neckar Loewen, the only team without a loss so far, despite the turbulence that one would expect to come with a coaching change so early in the season. Kiel and Hamburg, last year’s top two teams, have lost only one time each and are clearly playing well. Kiel looked quite superior to many observers before the start of the season, but the long-term injuries to several key players cannot be just shaken off, despite the large number of top talents on the Kiel squad.

In Spain we had a similarly divided Liga ASOBAL last year, with less than half of the teams being really competitive. Like in Germany, there were two real top clubs, Ciudad Real and Barcelona, with two ‘almost’ rivals in the form of Valladolid and Leon and another three teams competing for European slots. Prior to the start of this season, there have been many stories about clubs having severe financial difficulties, with a resulting need for cutting back on their expenses and their ambitions. To some extent it seems this also affects the top clubs.

Nevertheless, after 4 rounds, precisely the top four teams from last year are again the ones showing the best form, winning all their games. The traditional powers from Granollers are next in the ranking. And at the bottom, winless, whom do we find if not the five teams who finished just above the relegation line last season. So how predictable can it get!? It goes without saying that also Montpellier in France and the new Danish ‘conglomerate’ AG are quickly at the top of their respective leagues.

So can we then find enough consolation and excitement in the current format of the Champions League? Well, perhaps on the women’s side, which is just about to start. But the first two rounds of the men’s competition show, on the one hand how fantastic a league or a format with the [u]real [/u]top teams could be, but on the other hand that in each group there are one or two teams that do not quite have the necessary strength.

So let us enjoy some really good handball matches, while we ignore that most of the results are either predictable or not so important for the final standings. And let us dream about how much more exciting it could be in a different format. Most likely, by saying that I will annoy some fanatic supporters of, for instance, Balingen and Torrevieja or AaB and Kielce; but I am sure you will continue to enjoy seeing your clubs play against first-class teams, even if they are losing.

In a ‘Report on the 26 core sports for the Games of the XXXI Olympiad’, the IOC offers some interesting information in a standardized format on each of the 26 sports. This could provide an indication of how handball stacks up in relation to some other relevant sports, such as basketball and volleyball, in some particular areas. Clearly such information could offer some food for thought when handball tries to develop strategies and methods to increase its competitiveness in relation to other sports. In this posting, I will not try to attempt an analysis. Primarily I will point you to the source, http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Commissions_PDFfiles/Programme_commission/REPORT_26_CORE_SPORTS_2016_GAMES.pdf and suggest some aspects which may need our attention. Beyond that, you may discover other numbers of interest.

One basic overview shows the number of member federations in each continent. Basketball and volleyball have a total of 205 and 204 member countries respectively, while handball has 165. Where is then the discrepancy? The answer is obvious: the big gaps are to be found in America and Oceania. Basketball and volleyball both have 42 members in the American continent, while handball has 26. The corresponding situation in Oceania is 17, 17 and 5. Of course, this fact is well known in the IHF, and we also have an ‘excuse’ in the sense that by tradition handball is a ‘non-Anglo’ sport, so this automatically affects some countries. Progress has indeed been made in America, and Venezuela is a fantastic example, but much more needs to be done and more rapidly. So the question is what more IHF can do and also if the PanAmerican Federation has the resources to do enough.

A more telling statistic indicates what proportion of the federations is active enough to take part in Continental championships. In basketball, the percentages in Africa, America and Asia were 72, 89 and 84. In handball the corresponding percentages were 17, 33 and 29. This does not say much about the quality of the participants of course. But it suggests that while the ‘grassroots’ numbers are not so bad in handball, the ability to seriously compete at the continental level is not so widespread. This may be largely a question of money, but it may also depend on what the international federation can do to facilitate a broader participation. The new emphasis on Challenge Cup is important and promising for handball, but it may still be a slow process to get this countries fully integrated in true continental events. Of course, if the Challenge Cup is turned more fully into ‘continental qualifying’, then it may become more a question of ‘cosmetics’ or semantics.

Another interesting comparison involves the average number of daily visitors to the web sites of the international federations, both during an entire year, and during a World Championship. The numbers for handball were 2.200 and 19.500, completely dwarfed by basketball with 15.000 and 600.000, and also overshadowed by volleyball’s 28.000 and 71.000. This may say something about the perceived quality of the web sites (also after the attempted improvements in handball) but it is more likely to reflect the differences in interest on the part of the worldwide audiences. And the question then arises, could one find out what explains these huge differences and then do something about it!? And why is there such a contrast to the much better comparison in terms of the average number of TV viewers globally for each minute of coverage of the respective sport: handball 23 millions, volleyball 23 millions and basketball 33 millions.

Finally, a set of numbers that beg some explanations, because on the surface they are not so flattering: The proportion of anti-doping tests in 2007 that resulted in discovered violations: handball 0.9%, basketball 0.2% and volleyball 0.03%. Not only does the comparison look bad, but the 0.9% figure also seems mysteriously high. One would hope there is some aberration here that helps explain that the real number is not so bad? If so, the IHF should investigate and show a correction, because the image is important.

When I recently reported from the Youth Olympic Games, I mentioned that in some sports there was an experimentation with new variations, e.g., mixed gender relays in swimming, combinations of different races in cycling, and basketball on a half court with 3 players against 3.

From several media reports, it appears that this new basketball version (labeled ‘FIBA 33’) has come to stay, and that it may even be under serious consideration for the regular Olympic program as early as in 2016. Of course, there is nothing artificial about it, as it is a traditional street or backyard version of basketball. But from there to the Olympic program would normally be a big step.

But it seems that ‘FIBA 33’ has strong supporters. The FIBA Secretary General, who is an IOC member, has been pushing hard for it to be recognized, so apparently FIBA does not view it as potential competition or distraction for ‘real’ basketball. The Brazilian IOC member, who is also Chief of the Organizing Committee for Rio 2016, appears enthusiastic. And it has support from IOC President Rogge, who seems to like its appeal to younger spectators. This suggests that the chances are good. Moreover, as long as FIBA agrees to cut back on the number of athletes in the normal basketball competition, it may be possible to ‘sneak in’ the ‘FIBA 33’ without adopting it as a completely new sport.

One of the reasons for FIBA’s eagerness to introduce this new variation is supposedly the great success of Beach Volleyball. FIBA has been a bit ‘envious’, and while a beach version of basketball is not really feasible, the ‘3 against 3’ variation certainly is both different enough from normal basketball to create an interest in its own right, and at the same time a good PR for basketball more generally. So then the question will come up: does handball have a similar possibility?

Beach Handball has already existed as a competition sport for some time now, for instance with a well-organized World Championship event for both men and women in Antalya, Turkey, quite recently. But Beach Handball is still ‘emerging’, and it is not really clear how it is going to evolve in the future. It may also be matter of debate whether it is an advantage to have it managed as a ‘Cinderella’ activity by handball federations that are already ‘stretched thin’ by a shortage of resources in terms of money and personnel, or whether some form of increased independence would be better. In any case, the question arises: from a potential Olympic perspective, is it sufficiently different from indoor handball, in the same way as beach volleyball differs from indoor volleyball?

And then one must ask: does the new basketball concept with ‘FIBA 33’ give handball some reasons to think about a similar approach? ‘Street handball’ is a common adaptation in many places, and a ‘half court game’ could be a good method of introducing handball where the full-size game is not feasible. But would it be feasible to turn it into a competition sport that differs from indoor handball in a meaningful way? And then the broader issue: despite what volleyball and basketball are doing, is it perhaps better for handball to focus on the indoor handball game as the [u]only [/u]one for Olympic exposure, letting beach handball evolve in its current ‘hybrid’ state (somewhere ‘between serious and fun’)for the time being? And would perhaps the ‘half-court game’ instead become a useful developmental tool?!

Edmonton Sun (21 Aug 10): Basketball buoyed by Youth Games success: http://www.edmontonsun.com/sports/basketball/2010/08/21/15096326.html
Singapore Sports Blog (26 Aug 10): FIBA earns praise from IOC president for innovative 3-on-3 format: http://redsports.sg/2010/08/26/jacques-rogge-youth-olympic-press-conference/

Last week the IHF announced the results of the public voting on the question: ‘Who is the best handball coach ever?’ http://www.ihf.info/MediaCenter/News/NewsDetails/tabid/130/Default.aspx?ID=452 This follows voting on ‘the player of the decade’, ‘the best player ever’ etc. The winners often gain rather narrow victories, because most voters have quite personal and different reasons for their choice. So it was rather astounding when it turned out that Daniel Costantini (FRA) got no less than 88% of the votes. The IHF had only four predetermined candidates, but all of them are quite prominent: Bengt Johansson (SWE) who was the runner-up, Igor Turtjkin (UKR) and Ioan Kunst-Ghermanescu (ROU).

Bengt Johansson was clearly a major reason for many years of top performances by the Swedish team, with an emphasis on his ability to create real team spirit. Bengt and I have remained friends since my early years of refereeing when he was still a player. I knew also ‘Jonny’ Kunst from an early stage, and I had many friendly encounters with him over the years, until the hours before his untimely death while a guest at the World Championships in Kumamoto 1997. He was a valued IHF contributor and together with his compatriot, Nico Nedeff, he was the driving force behind a period of Romanian dominance. Igor Turtjkin was a legend at both the club level and with the national team, and his influence on women’s handball was enormous. My personal involvement with Igor included being a referee in the only USA-USSR game ever that USA managed to win, right here in Washington D.C. back in 1988. Igor’s face was not a happy one…

When I was wondering about the reasons for Daniel Costantini’s huge margin of victory, it occurred to me of course that two of his three rivals were really from an earlier generation and might not be so well known to younger voters. But I really sensed that I also knew another reason. There can easily be debates around the technical/tactical skills of coaches and their influence on their teams. But what might be more obvious and undisputed to spectators, media, opponents, and certainly referees, is the personality and attitude of a coach. And Daniel was always the consummate gentleman: calm and supportive, without any provocations or nasty remarks. So I am quite confident that this has contributed in a major way to a wide-spread recognition of his positive influence on the game.

Just a small example from a hectic situation: World Championship final in Bercy, Paris, in 2001, in a tight game against Sweden (with Bengt Johansson). The French team was in the habit of substituting one player every time they went from offense to defense, and it was always the same player going in without having to be told. But on one occasion it suddenly occurred to Daniel Constantini to send in [u]also another player[/u] on defense. As IHF delegate, it was my task to interrupt the game with a whistle and to tell the referees that the French player had to be given a 2-minute penalty. I could already anticipate the crowd reaction and the ‘increased temperature’ in the game. But this is when Daniel showed his class: with a simple gesture he pointed to himself and bowed, acknowledging that it was his fault and that he wanted to apologize to both his team and the French fans. The game continued without any added emotion and France won in the end.

But Daniel Costantini also has a nice sense of humor. During the same World Championship, in the preliminary group where France played, the French cuisine did not live up to its reputation. Almost the entire IHF delegation got food poisoning. On the final day in the group, only two out of four pairs of referees could get out of bed, and we had three matches. So obviously the same couple had to have the first and the last match. Prior to the last match, where France luckily played an easy opponent, I joked with Daniel: “please have some extra sympathy for the referees today, because it is their [u]second[/u] match!” The match turned out to be even more one-sided than expected, so we were quite surprised when Daniel came up to the table right when the clock switched to 15:00. With a smile he put the ‘green card’ on the table, thus requesting a time-out and said: “for the referees!” With these few examples I hope I have been able to underscore that the voters selected a coach, a man, who is really a worthy winner!

P.S. Just a little hint to the IHF, one that I might regret: after all the voting for players and coaches, what about having a vote about the best referee couple ever!!?? (Of course, the risk is that those old friends who do not win will no longer be so happy with me…)

The inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) are currently being held in Singapore, and the handball competition has just gotten underway. This event is being proclaimed by the IOC as a new important feature with its own particular objectives and characteristics. The IOC president, Jacques Rogge, feels a special ownership of the YOG, which he is presenting as his personal idea. In doing so, he tries to emphasize that, unlike in the ‘real’ Olympics, in the YOG the focus should not be on competitiveness, on winners and losers, or on medals and nationalism. Instead it should be on the broad participation of youth in sports, on education and awareness (for instance regarding anti-doping, ethics, and fair play), and on an opportunity for cross-cultural learning.

This means, for instance, that the IOC does not publish a medal count (although media certainly keep track), and it is said that the IOC President tried to resist the idea of having flags, hymns and a medal podium, but that the majority of his IOC colleagues prevailed. Similarly, the organization of the event should take relatively modest forms, but this of course is not quite as the authorities of Singapore really prefer it to be; they want to show off their capacity and abilities. For instance, the opening ceremony became a somewhat more glamorous affair than the IOC had hoped. There are also educational seminars and cultural events available to all the participants, but it is not clear how well-attended this events really are.

The YOG has its critics, both within the IOC and outside. Foremost among them is perhaps the IOC veteran Richard Pound, former Chief of WADA (the IOC Anti-Doping Agency), who is even staying away from Singapore, and many sports federation officials and academics around the world. They do not take issue with the principles and objectives, but many feel that in practice the whole idea is unrealistic and could even have negative effects.

It is noted that one cannot ‘order’ the participants, the nations and the media to set aside a focus on winning. The YOG is not likely to do a lot to cause new masses of youth around the world to become engaged in sport; in fact, its existence may push the competitiveness further down into the age groups, creating elitism, with segregation and elimination of the less talented at a younger age. It is also noted that that IOC does not have the kind of reputation that would make it well-placed to educate athletes about ethics and anti-corruption.

All the 26 Olympic summer sports participate in the YOG, although in some cases in modified forms or with special qualification and selection rules for the teams and the athletes. The 3600 athletes (in ages 14-18) are more evenly distributed by continent and country, and in individual sports there can be only one participant by nation. Some sports, like soccer, have quite deliberately gone for a selection that fits the spirit of the YOG; the participants are generally teams of a modest caliber: for instance, boys teams from Haiti and Zimbabwe, and girls teams from Iran, Trinidad, Equatorial Guinea, and Papua & New Guinea. In handball, the top teams of the respective continents are included, which makes for a tough task for the Oceania representatives, the girls from Australia and the boys from Cook Islands.

Some of the 26 sports experiment with new variations or with different rules, in comparison with the ‘real’ Olympics. For instance, basketball uses a half-court game, with 3 players against 3. (Perhaps something for handball in those many places where the available courts are too small…) Cycling goes for a combination of BMX, Mountain bike, Time trial, and Cross-country, perhaps an idea that will catch on. In Modern Pentathlon the riding has been eliminated. In gymnastics there is a new feature involving acrobatics. In a couple of sports there will also be something as unusual as ‘mixed gender’ competition. This involves judo and also swimming relays. However, while the IOC President made some proud pronouncements about this experimentation, senior NBC representatives were heard commenting that it is not going far enough and that the rejuvenation of the Olympic program is generally too slow, particularly in the pursuit of younger viewers.

Returning to the handball competition, our sport lived up to some of the IOC preferences regarding staffing. Clearly it was possible to meet the expectation of having young but well-qualified referees handle the games between these young teams. It was more difficult to find young delegates and technicians with sufficient experience; but at least IHF managed to include two women among the delegates (Patricia Malik de Tchara – ARG, and Monika Hagen – SWE). When the handball competition started, the Australian girls lost 4-41 against Denmark, and the boys from Cook Islands lost 4-58 against France. (Perhaps the spirit of friendship and cross-cultural understanding had not been fully conveyed…). In line with the nature of the YOG, we will not be reporting more generally on the results and the winners of the YOG handball competition. But we will come back with a follow-up of the fate of our friends from Oceania.

Link to the official web site for the YOG: http://www.singapore2010.sg/public/sg2010/en/en_about_us.html

Link to IOC's web site with coverage of the YOG: http://www.olympic.org/

Link to the special YouTube site for the YOG: http://www.youtube.com/user/singapore2010

Link to the results page for the YOG handball competition: http://gis.singapore2010.sg/RINF-app/generator/cat/sch/lan/ENG/dis/HB/sch-dis-dat-rep.xml

Following the recent 'ground-breaking' meeting between the EHF and the new entity representing the European top men's clubs, Forum for Club Handball (FCH) http://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.1039 , there was a clear expectation that it would become untenable for the IHF to refuse to formally invite the FCH (and the original, more narrow grouping, GCH) to relevant meetings. And now it has been announced that for a meeting on September 17 regarding issues such as the competition calendar and the compensation to clubs, the FCH President Tomaz Jersic and the GCH President Joan Marin have indeed been invited. This is a major step forward, albeit belatedly.

At the same time it is also becoming clear that the professional handball players in Germany will finally follow the example of their colleagues in several other countries; in the next couple of weeks, they will be founding a German Handball Players' Union. As noted by Jaume Fort, Head of the European Handball Players' Union, the inclusion of the German players is obviously an important development in the efforts to gain recognition for the players as a full partner in all discussions concerning their situation, such as precisely on the issue of the competition calendar. One can only hope that this will soon become a natural occurrence.

Most Comcast regional networks in the U.S. have already aired the matches from Chicago, but there still is one last chance to see the matches on TV. The Mtn. Network (aka, the Mountain) will broadcast both matches late Sunday night/early Monday morning (depending on where you live in the U.S). The Mtn. is available in most markets where this is a Mountain West Conference (MWC) collegiate team and is available nationwide on Direct TV, Channel #616.

USA Vs. LA 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM (Pacific Coast)
Germany vs. Poland 10:00 PM – 11:30 PM (Pacific Coast)

A couple of short highlight videos have been posted on Youtube from last Saturday’s matches in Chicago. Thanks to play by play commentator, Kenn Tomasch for the editing and posting.

USA vs. L.A.: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOvslG_F6bk
Germany vs. Poland: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ4AxNswXOQ

There are still a couple of chances to catch the full matches on TV. The USA vs. LA match will air on Comcast Sports Atlanta on Sunday, 25 July at 12:30 and the Mtn. is scheduled to air both matches on 8 August.

Kenn Tomasch Blog: http://www.kenn.com/the_blog/

Alain Smadja, the architect who oversaw the incorporation of France’s top professional league, the Ligue National du Handball (LNH) was unceremoniously voted out last Friday after 6 years in office. Replacing him will be, Philippe Bernat-Salles, a former international Rugby player with few ties to Handball. According to French Handball news site, handzone.net the decision to replace Smadja was at least partially tied to the failed LNH Final Four tournament held last year in Miami. The event was poorly attended and fans in France complained that the overseas location made it too costly for them to attend. The daring tournament was largely driven by Smadja’s vision to export handball to the U.S. Despite the lack of attendance, Smadja was still exploring the possibility of returning the event to the U.S. With his ouster, though, the possibility of a return has likely diminished.

THN (18 Apr 09): If You Build It, Will They Come?: http://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.734
THN (23 Sep 09): USA Team Handball and LNH explore possibility of French Final Four in New York: http://teamhandballnews.com/news.php?item.828
Handzone.net (26 Jun 10): LNH Facelift: http://www.handzone.net/asp.net/main.news/news.aspx?id=54247
HandAction: Alain Smaja: The American: http://teamhandballnews.com/docs/Miami_Alain_Smadja.pdf

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!: http://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

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