EHF Commissions meet in Vienna

The latest round of meetings of the EHF Commissions took place in the EHF Office in Vienna 18-20 February 2016.

Technical Delegation

Following initial tests in Vienna and Krakow during the Men’s EHF EURO 2016, the Technical Delegation discussed the issues around technical support in handball.

They looked in particular at concepts around tracking, game administration and goal-line technology and instant replays.

The use of technology for quantitative analysis as well use by various stakeholder groups from coaches through to fans was also discussed.

Methods Commission

The Methods Commission reviewed the EHF Wheelchair Nations Tournament, which took place in December 2015 in Austria and a detailed report has been submitted to the IHF Council.

Additionally, the findings of the tests with the 1.5 sized ball have been submitted to the IHF Council.

The Commission looked in detail at its planning for the next year including its plans for coach licencing, pro-licencing, young coach workshops and its development agreements with member federations.

Looking at educational issues, the upcoming European Handball Manager course in English in Cologne was highlighted and the fact that the course is now accepting the next intake of participants.

Furthermore the Commission discussed the issuing of guidance for non-signatories of the Rinck Convention.

Finally, a review of the Master Coach course in Poland was presented and the Commission looked forward to the next two modules planned for 2016, taking place in Poland and Sweden.

Methods Commission (with members of the EHF Office, l-r): Nicole Rabenseifner; Beata Kozlowska;
Helmut Höritsch; Marina Gillard (EHF member Europe in IHF Medical Commission); Sjors Röttger; Peter Kovacs;
Jerzy Eliasz (Chairman); Pedro Sequeira; Nina Britt Husebö

Competitions Commission

The Competitions Commission opened with a discussion on the proposals for the qualification system for the Men’s EHF EURO as of 2020, when the event will expand from 16 to 24 teams.

The proposal will now be presented at a meeting on 7 March 2016 in Vienna to those nations potentially involved in the first rounds of qualification.

Further consultation will be undertaken with the Nations Board and Professional Handball Board at their next meetings on 7/8 March before being presented to the EHF Executive Committee at its meeting in Bordeaux, France on 16 March 2016.

The new qualification system will also be tabled at the Secretaries General Conference, scheduled to take place in Dubrovnik, Croatia 12-14 April 2016.

An additional topic was the new IHF Rules of the Game, as agreed by the IHF Congress in Sochi in November 2015. An official information is expected from the IHF on 1 March 2016, which will then enable further evaluation of the rule changes.

Looking ahead, the Commission highlighted the number of YAC events taking place this summer: EHF M20 EURO in Croatia, EHF M18 EURO in Denmark and three EHF M18 Championships in Bulgaria, Georgia and Lithuania.

A change to the seeding system for the Women’s EHF Champions League was presented, which will now be put forward to the EHF Executive Committee meeting.

A short report on the highly successful organisation of the Men’s EHF EURO 2016 in Poland was presented, with a more detailed evaluation of all aspects of the event to be made at the next meeting in April.

The Competitions Commission also highlighted the support the EHF is providing to events across Europe in the coming months through the EHF Young Referee Programme.

A total of eight events will supported including: ISF Schools World Championship in IHF/EHF Trophy in Tbilisi, Georgia (6-14 March); Rouen, France (11-19 March); Prague Cup in Prague; Czech Republic (24-28 March); Vrillitos Tournament in Veria, Greece (22-27 April); Youth Play-offs in Drammen, Norway (14-18 April); European Open in Gothenburg, Sweden (3-9 July); EUSA Games in Zagreb and Rijeka, Croatia (12-19 July) and the Lundaspelen in Lund, Sweden (December).
 

Competitions Commission (l-r): Dragan Nechevski; Radek Wasiak (guest/club representative); Sandor Andorka;
Leopold Kalin (Chairman); Carmen Manchado Lopez; Martin Hausleitner

Beach Handball Commission

It was confirmed that the Beach Handball Commission will offer support to seven tournaments on the European Beach Tour (ebt) this summer, in the form of beach handball goals, TV line systems and beach handballs. An announcement will be made to organisers in due course.

Details of the 2016 M16/W16 European Beach Handball Championships in Nazaré, Portugal were discussed, ahead of a workshop with organisers taking place on Monday, 22 February together with the draw for the event.

The EHF’s beach handball education programme for beach handball officials will continue in 2016, with an education course to take place 18-22 May 2016 on the fringes of the ebt Finals in Thessaloniki. Places will be available for nine referee pairs, nine delegates and 10 coaches.

Looking ahead, the playing periods for the 2017 senior and youth European Beach Handball Championships were confirmed: M17/W17 from 30 June to 2 July 2017 and senior championships from 4 to 9 July 2017.

It was also agreed that the Beach Handball Commission, in collaboration with the EHF Media and Communications Department, would develop a Media Guide for future EHF beach handball events, detailing minimum standards for media management and related services.
 

Members of the EHF Beach Handball Commision (l-r): Marco Trespidi; George Bebetsos;
Gabriella Horvath; Sinisa Ostoic; Ole R. Jorstad (Chairman)