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The two newcomers Uruguay and Cape Verde as well as Hungary: German handball players were in league with the goddess of luck Fortuna at the World Cup draw in Egypt in January 2021. National coach Alfred Gislason was extremely satisfied with the result. “It’s a very nice group“said the Icelander from the sports program:”Hungary was strong recently in the European Championship, I still don’t know Uruguay or Cape Verde.”
DHB President Andreas Michelmann was also pleased to observe the result of the draw. “With all due respect to Cape Verde and Uruguay: We have to win the key match against Hungary if we are to have a good starting position in the main round.“Meanwhile, DHB Vice President Bob Hanning gave the warning:”It is an easy drawing at first glance. Anyone looking at the table from behind knows that we could face Norway, France or Portugal in the quarter-finals.“Captain Uwe Gensheimer clearly sees his team as Group A favorites”:We want to live up to this role as favorites.”
Defending champions Denmark also have an easy game in Group D with Argentina, Bahrain and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. World Cup finalist Norway, with superstar Kiel Sander Sagosen, on the other hand, will have to deal with former world champion France in Group E, who had to return home after the preliminary round in the Championship. from Europe in 2020 and is seeking repairs. European champion Spain faces Tunisia, Brazil and Poland in Group B, while Eurocup finalist Croatia has to compete with Qatar, Japan and Angola in Group C. The composition of Group H with Russia and Belarus is hot spicy.
“Health and safety are the most important aspects”
The gigantic tournament will be played from January 14 to 31 in four Egyptian cities, the groups will be distributed to the venues in the coming days. The 32 teams play in eight groups, the fourth from each group is eliminated after the preliminary round. Then it continues in four groups of six, the first and second group qualify for the quarterfinals. The drawing with guests from around the world on the Giza Pyramids Plateau took place after a partly bombastic 90-minute show program, with a final fireworks display over the Sphinx. Hassan Moustafa, president of the IHF world association, gave a conference in several languages on the concept of hygiene and health during the World Cup.
“Health and safety are the most important aspects, which is why we consulted medical experts in a wide variety of fields to develop a complete concept.“said Moustafa, the driving force behind the World Cup in his home country. Organizers around Moustafa outlined how the concept for the 32 participating teams could be viewed in concrete terms in the lead-up to the draw: mandatory mask in all parts off the field, corona tests every 72 hours -Rhythm, quarantine areas in hotels.
“Bubble” like in the NBA
A bubble around teams and their roster, similar to the “bubble” currently practiced in NBA basketball, aims to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Additionally, there will be a strict audience restriction of 25 to 30 percent of room occupancy.
“The hosts will do their best to ensure the safety of athletes and all guests. I’m sure it will work“said DHB President Andreas Michelmann.
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Stall: 05.09.2020, 21:43
