Meeting of EURO Calendar Task Force

Meeting of EURO Calendar Task Force

Skopje, 5th December 2008 - Today, the EURO Calendar Task Force held a meeting in Skopje/MKD, on the fringes of the 2008 Women’s European Championship. The Task Force was called into being by the EHF Congress in September to deal with the highly complex and intricate matter of the sporting calendar. Representatives from all sectors of top level handball were nominated for the Task Force in order to represent a wide spectrum of interests, which make up the equation. The objective of the meeting was to supply the EHF Executive Committee with an analysis of the various proposals tabled at the Congress concerning possible changes to the calendar of European competitions for national teams.

The following representatives were in attendance: Joan Marin (ESP – Club Representative), Rainer Witte (GER – League Representative), Morten Stig Christensen (DEN – National Team Representative), Jan Tuik (NED – EHF Competition Commission Chairman), Michael Wiederer (EHF Secretary General), Alexander Toncourt (EHF Assistant Secretary General), Jean Brihault (FRA - EHF Vice-president – Task Force Chairman.

The Task Force looked into this question, taking a slightly broader perspective, underlining the need for better articulation of club activities on both national and continental levels and national team activities. The Task Force also reflected on the competitions on an IHF level as part of the equation.

Participants declared it as an absolute priority to work in the interest of the development of handball in Europe and to guarantee the best possible exposure of handball in the media, particularly on TV while taking into account the situation of the clubs, the leagues, the national federations, the EHF and the IHF. They also insisted on the need to control the workload imposed on the top players. They analysed the various factors that could be played on to achieve these goals and are confident that their input will contribute to an approach that can be shared by all stakeholders.

The report of this first session of the working group will now be passed on to the Executive Committee of the EHF for a decision to be taken on the occasion of its March 2009 meeting. It was repeatedly emphasised by all that the European Championships are seen as being the window to the world for handball.