IHF and EHF sanctions against Belarusian handball players are unlawful — Konoplev

We understand IHF's decision to grant two wild cards for the 2027 Men's World Championship to the handball federations of Turkey and Saudi Arabia. We are glad you support handball development in these countries. But why are you destroying handball in Belarus? Many talented Belarusian handball players have already lost their chances to qualify for the 2028 Olympics. The draws for the first qualification rounds for the 2029 Men's World Championship and the 2030 Men's European Championship will take place soon. If IHF does not grant our men's national team the right to participate in these qualifications now, the total disqualification of our teams will amount to 10 years! We consider this undemocratic! We urgently request that you allow our teams to participate in all upcoming official international competitions under both IHF and EHF. We hope that the upcoming IHF Council meeting will make a positive decision. Otherwise, if this is too difficult for IHF, we will have no choice but to defend our rights at the Court of Arbitration for Sport," said the chairman of the Belarusian Handball Federation.