Doha, October 23 (QNA) - President of the International Handball Federation (IHF) Dr. Hassan Mustafa hailed Qatar's organization of the Asian Men's Handball Qualifications for the Paris 2024 Olympics, currently held in Doha and lasts until Oct. 28 with the participation of 11 national teams.

In his remarks to Qatar News Agency (QNA), he said that the organization is at the highest level, not only from his point of view but as seen by all participating delegations. Qatar has organized major sporting events with distinction and has great experience, and the sports leaders have a clear vision. Therefore, the Qatari organization is always distinguished, whether at the level of handball or other games. In this regard, he noted that Qatar is capable of organizing the Olympic Games as well.

Regarding the technical level of the Asian handball qualifiers, Dr. Hassan Mustafa said that the matches held so far showed the development of the level of the game in Asia, adding that new teams are heating the competition, such as Japan, which was the first to qualify for the semi-finals, in addition to the return of Kuwait with a young team. Dr. Hassan Mustafa added that what caught his attention in the qualifiers is the presence of a Gulf women's refereeing team that runs men's matches, noting that in general, the Asian qualifiers are going well so far.

The President of the IHF pointed out that changing the qualification system for the Olympic Games gave a greater opportunity for teams from outside Europe to advance to the Olympics.

He said that the old system required that the top seven places in the World Championships qualify directly for the Olympics, and they were always European teams. Therefore, that system had to be changed, and this has actually led to the qualification of teams that would have been difficult to participate in the Olympics under the previous qualification system.

Regarding the level of Qatari handball, Dr. Hassan Mustafa indicated that the Qatari team was the first team from outside Europe to reach the final match and achieve second place in the Men's World Championship, which was held in Doha in 2015. This was an achievement not only for Qatari sports but also for Arab sports, which clearly shows the development of the game's level that has made many achievements in recent years.

Regarding the IHF's efforts to develop the game at the global level, he said that when he assumed the presidency of the IHF 23 years ago, they worked to make the game of handball more rapid, thrilling, and exciting, and they succeeded in that to a great extent, in addition to focusing on school sports, which is an important project on IHF's agenda.

He added that as part of the IHF's development efforts, they recently decided to create a new championship for the U-17 age group. There are also handball projects in developing countries that are fully funded by the IHF. Therefore, it can be said that the IHF is taking rapid steps to develop handball on a global level, and when the IHF makes any decision, they are keen to consult with all concerned parties because they all aspire to develop the game. 

IHF President Dr. Hassan Mustafa stated in an interview with the Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the decision to increase the number of teams in the World Championship from 24 to 32 was the right move and contributed to allowing more teams from all continents to participate in the World Championship.

He emphasized that while handball used to be predominantly a European sport, this expansion has created opportunities for more global participation. He also noted that handball is the most popular team sport with Arab participation in the Men's World Championship.

Regarding the development of the IHF Men's Super Globe, which Qatar hosted for ten editions, Dr. Mustafa commented that they are working to enhance the tournament with each edition. He praised the success of the championship in Qatar before its move to Saudi Arabia in the last four years.

When asked about the non-inclusion of beach handball in the Olympics despite its growing popularity in recent years, the IHF President mentioned that they are doing their part, but the decision ultimately rests with the International Olympic Committee. He expressed hope that beach handball would be included in the Olympics shortly.

He pointed out that no one from outside Europe was on the IHF Board of Directors and its various committees, while now there is a large number of Arab members in the Federation, noting that Egypt has organized the Men's World Championship twice, Qatar once, and Tunisia also once, which was very difficult to happen previously.

IHF President noted that handball has now become very popular. In the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, it was ranked second in terms of audience attendance after football, and in the recent World Youth Championship held in Germany and Greece, the number of spectators in one of the matches reached 18,000 spectators. He stressed that handball is on the right path and can be developed further.

Dr. Mustafa concluded by extending his appreciation to Qatar for its successful organization of various world championships, wishing continued success for Qatari sports in the future.

(QNA)