– We see the risk – VG

Norway and Denmark will host the championship along with the final in Trondheim on December 20. But, as TV 2 reported on Saturday, the rules of the Norwegian crown are now creating obvious problems.

An infected participant in Norway will cause the entire team, and any opposing team, to be quarantined and disappear from the championship. In Denmark, which hosts two group games and one of the two main championship rounds, however, only the individual player / leader will be isolated. The rest of the team can test themselves to fix the problems.

– We see risk and there are things we need to consider in relation to implementation. Well inventing new smart measures introducing and protecting or evaluating if it is possible to fix this. Simply put, handball president Kåre Geir Lio tells VG.

– Can you count the entire championship for you?

– Yes. You can pass. We must accept the current situation. We plan everything and choose the best. In fact, we may not be able to do this.

– The Norwegian Handball Association has prepared a draft infection control protocol that is currently being considered by the relevant health authorities. “We are many to hope and believe that the European Handball Championship will take place within a strictly responsible infection control regime,” writes Culture Minister Abid Raja in an email to VG. Read the full email at the end of the case.

The NHF infection control protocol can have completely devastating consequences for the entire team of an infected physician or leader.

– The protocol relates to the rules as they are in Norway now. An infection means the entire team is out, Lio confirms.

– In the worst case, a positive test on Poland’s third goalkeeper can knock Norway out of the European Championship after a match, writes Viasat handball expert Ole Erevik in Twitter.

– What does the EHF of the European Union say to the Norwegian protocol?

– Nothing is said other than that they could have imagined this differently, Lio replies.

– But the answer to that is that they are the regulations of the Norwegian health authorities and we identify with that. Later we will see if it turns out like this. Or if there is another way. Everything should clear up in a week and a half. Then, we have clarified the position of the Norwegian authorities and EHF. Based on that, we will see if we can organize the European Championship or add it to another country.

The handball president states that the final decision will be made in collaboration with the EHF.

– We will consider the next step together with the Ministry of Culture, which has the health authorities behind in its evaluations.

Kåre Geir Lio says the handball association has full confidence in the Norwegian authorities’ treatment of the pandemic, but is now working against the Ministry of Culture to find another solution.

– This is two-sided. The Norwegian health authorities have done a particularly good job regarding the infection situation in Norway. But it’s bitter if we’re not allowed to fix this, Lio admits.

Two players from the Ferencváros club team tested positive earlier this fall in Kristiansand ahead of the Champions League game against Vipers. The game was postponed for later, the two players were isolated, while the rest of the Ferencváros squad was also quarantined by the health authorities of the southern town.

But the Champions League tournament is scheduled to run for nine months. The European Championship will be decided in two or three days between matches.

– The Office of Infection Control in Trondheim has a dialogue with the Norwegian Directorate of Health about isolation and quarantine should an infection occur at the championship. We cannot change locally something that is determined at the national level. It is up to the Norwegian Health Directorate to decide how this will be, says municipal chief doctor Tove Røsstad to VG.

It does not hide that the situation may be difficult and confirms that work is being done to find solutions.

– One is aware of this challenge. The subject is interesting. It will be a balance of what should weigh heavier, says Røsstad, adding:

– The infection situation in Europe is such that the possibility that we have infected people is not negligible.

On Monday, the Norwegian Health Directorate referred VG to the Ministry of Culture.

All European Championship participants in the championship must be examined before leaving their home country and when they arrive in Norway. They must undergo additional tests every 72 hours during the European Championship.

Several handball experts believe that the European Championship cannot be held in Norway if infection control does not change.

– Norway cannot be an organizer of the European Championship, writes Bent Nyegaard for many years associated with Danish television 2. Furthermore, he says in the comment posted on Monday:

– We are at hour 11, perhaps closer to hour 12. With an oath exactly 39 days before the 2020 European Championship begins, a European Championship organizer is sought, who can replace the Norwegian Handball Association.

This is what Minister of Culture and Gender Equality Abid Raja says:

In connection with the next European Handball Championship, the government will facilitate that the part of the championship that is planned to take place in Norway can be carried out in the best possible way in light of the current contagion situation as a result of Covid -19 nationwide. This will be done, among other things, by adapting the regulations related to entry restrictions and quarantine with the necessary exceptions. A prerequisite for such adaptation of the regulations is that an infection control protocol be prepared in relation to the championship. This will set the framework for a robust infection control regime and will be adhered to by the relevant players in connection with the conduct of the championship. The protocol must be reviewed in advance and approved by the Norwegian health authorities.

The Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Care Services, has maintained a continuous and constructive dialogue with the Norwegian Handball Association to facilitate the correct implementation of the championship. The Norwegian Handball Association has prepared a draft infection control protocol which is currently under review by the relevant health authorities. Many of us hope and believe that the European Handball Championship can be held within a strictly responsible infection control regime. “