Replacements for Russia’s name and flag are in place for a handball world championship in Egypt, but the national anthem still needs a backup.
The International Handball Federation (IHF) announced that it has set conditions under which a Russian team can participate in next month’s tournament, conforming to the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s ruling in a landmark doping case.
The court ruled that Russia would not be allowed to use its name, flag and anthem at the next two Olympics or at any world championships for the next two years.
Photo: AFP
At the IHF men’s world championship scheduled to start on Jan. 13, Russia can compete under the name Russian Handball Federation Team, with the acronym RHF replacing the normal International Olympic Committee (IOC) country code.
An unresolved issue is what to use as a replacement for the anthem.
“The IOC is liaising with the Russian Olympic Committee to find a consistent approach,” the IHF said on Friday. “In case no consistent approach is found until the beginning of the 2021 men’s world championship, the IHF anthem will be played.”
The flag would be the logo of the Russian Handball Federation “without text,” it said.
For clothing and uniforms, “any national symbol, flag or abbreviation must be replaced by the logo of the Handball Federation of Russia without text,” it said.
“Alternatively, they may be removed or covered neutrally. The use of the term ‘Russia’ should be avoided, as otherwise the term ‘Neutral Athlete’ must be affixed to each piece of clothing/uniform in the same size and manner as the term ‘Russia,’” it added.
The IHF said it has worked with the IOC and the Russian Olympic Committee “to ensure that all requirements regarding” the court’s decision is met. The conditions were shared with the Russian Handball Federation on Friday.
The Russian team is scheduled to play in Group H with Belarus, Slovenia and South Korea. Russia won gold at the 1993 and 1997 world championships, and finished 14th at the most recent championship last year.
In the ruling announced on Dec. 17, the court halved the four-year ban proposed last year by the World Anti-Doping Agency in a landmark case that accused Russia of state-ordered tampering of a testing laboratory database in Moscow.
Yu Yao-hsing on Tuesday nabbed Taiwan’s only goal in the final round of qualifiers for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, as they fell 3-1 to Sri Lanka at Taipei Municipal Stadium. Early goals from Sri Lanka in the first half left Taiwan struggling to get on the board, and Christopher Tiao’s own goal at 53 minutes sealed the team’s fate in the third round of qualifiers. While acknowledging that the defeat, Taiwan’s sixth in Group D, was disappointing, head coach Matt Ross said he saw reasons to stay positive about the team’s development. “There were lots of positive signs in terms of the
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli yesterday vowed to “keep raising the bar” after winning the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings. The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli’s Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China, and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell. Mercedes are struggling to
INDIGESTION: Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time after a 4-1 defeat to Bosnia on penalties in a loss Gattuso said was ‘difficult to digest’ Coach Graham Arnold on Tuesday challenged his players to “shock the world” after Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup with a nerve-shredding 2-1 win over Bolivia in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico, as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Sweden and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) also secured their places at the finals. Iraq, whose preparations were disrupted by the war in the Middle East, sealed their first appearance at the finals in 40 years and are to play in Group I against France, Senegal and Norway. Goals from Ali al-Hamadi
Teng Kai-wei, the only Taiwanese player on an opening-day roster in this year’s Major League Baseball (MLB) season, took his first win of the year with the Houston Astros in his season debut. Teng entered in relief in the top of the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, with the Astros trailing 5-0. He pitched 2-1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, as Houston scored 11 runs during his outing to snatch an 11-9 comeback victory. The win is the Astros’ first of the season and the third of Teng’s MLB career. “It’s my first time pitching for the Astros, so
RSS