The International Handball Federation has announced that its Congress will be held in Sochi from November 6 and 9 ©IHF

The International Handball Federation (IHF) has announced that its 2015 Congress will be held in Sochi from November 6 to 9, following the postponement of this month’s scheduled event in the Hungarian capital of Budapest as a result of visa issues.

The reason behind the postponement of the Congress, which was due to start yesterday, was the inability of 63 National Federations to obtain an entry visa for Hungary due to the fact that their countries do not have a Hungarian diplomatic representation.

IHF President Hassan Moustafa is said to have had communication on the "highest level" with the Hungarian Government, namely the country’s Sports Minister István Simicskó, in order to find a solution to the problem.

But the Hungarian State and the Hungarian Handball Federation could only guarantee visas upon arrival to those delegates arriving to Budapest as their first point of entry into the Schengen Area - comprising 26 European countries that have abolished passport and any other type of border control at their common borders - which was not possible for many. 

Despite the change, the agendas of the Ordinary and Extraordinary Congresses remain the same, including the selection of the host cities for the 2021 and 2023 World Championships. 

Sochi hosted last year's Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games
Sochi hosted last year's Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games ©Getty Images

“Huge efforts were undertaken by the IHF to determine a new Congress host who may guarantee that the participants from all 200 IHF Member Federations will be able to obtain entry visas without difficulty and unhindered entry to the country to ensure that all IHF Member Federations have the possibility to attend the IHF Congress,” said an IHF statement.

“The Handball Federation of Russia, after consultation with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, provided the required visa guarantee to the IHF.

“On this basis, the IHF Council decided to award the Ordinary and Extraordinary IHF Congress 2015 to the Handball Federation of Russia.

“All Member Federations of the International Handball Federation have been informed accordingly.”

According to A G Koroma, the secretary general of the Sierra Leone Handball Association, the postponement of the Congress did not come as a surprise as he claims he was told at the 2013 IHF Congress in Doha that it would be too difficult to obtain visas to Hungry, reports Awoko Newspaper.


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