Chairman Diaa Rashwan

Head of the Information, Research and Internet Sector Dr. Ahmed Abu Zayed

Prepared by General Department of th Editing 27 Men’s World Championship

Cover design Wissam El Hadidi Global Event on Egyptian Land

Maquette & Art Direction January 13-31, 2021 Ashraf Madany

Follow-up Supervision Nehad Raafat

Translated by Foreign Editing Department

English Section Heba Nabil Nesreen Nabeel Ola Gamal Rania Saad Riham Al Wakeel Yosra Gamal

English Revision Yousry Ahmed Farag

English Proofreading Nesreen Nabeel

Executive Supervision Samia Badawy

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Contents

Introduction ...... 5

Chapter One: World Handball Championship History ...... 7

Chapter Two: 26 Men’s Handball Championships until 2021 ...... 15

Chapter Three: World Cup 2021...... 37

Chapter Four: Egyptian Preparations to Host the Championship ..... 59

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Introduction

Egypt hosts the 27th Men’s Handball World Championship during the period January 13-31, 2021, with the participation of 32 national teams for the first time. It would be a global sports celebration on the land of Egypt, and the biggest world sports event to be organized with fans presence since the outbreak of Coronavirus pandemic. This poses an additional challenge to the Egyptian and international sports system and shows the world's confidence in Egypt's capabilities to host the championship on its land amidst extraordinary circumstances engulfing the entire world. Egypt has taken on the challenge and has been prepared to host this global event. This reinforces the message spread and entrenched by the Egyptian political leadership among the peoples of the world. This message stresses that social peace, inter-cultural communication and human integration are the only way for all peoples to live in peace and prosperity. These values represent the hope for our children and youth to achieve their dreams and aspirations, and they are also the legacy that we have to leave to this generation and the generations to come.

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Chapter One World Handball Championship History

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Origins and Evolution Historians differ in determining the era when the game of handball appeared. Some considered it a game of Pharaonic origin due to the existence of some archaeological inscriptions that show ancient Egyptians practicing a sport that seems similar to handball. Drawings on the Saqqara tombs in Egypt, dating as far back as 5,000 years, show four girls throwing balls to each other, and indicate the beginnings of handball. Handball-like games appeared in Medieval France, the Eskimo peoples, and in ancient Africa. By the advent of the nineteenth century, many handball-like games appeared in its recent form in many different countries, such as the håndbold game in . The ball was made of leather and stuffed with straw and plants or papyrus to be light and more durable, and was rarely used in more than one match. By the end of the nineteenth century, handball appeared in its modern shape in Scandinavian countries in addition to Germany. Thanks to the German physical education experts, the game was developed into its current form. In 1898, the Danish "Holger Nielsen" laid down and published the rules of the handball game. In 1906, "Max

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Heizer", "Karl Schellens" and "Erik Konai" from Germany published another set of rules concerning the sport of handball. "Heizer" was the person behind the development of "handball" as he wanted to apply an activity within the winter training program for female gymnasts as a kind of warming-up in the cold weather inside the gymnasiums, and to help them at the same time gain the force for jumping that the gymnastic movements require. On October 29, 1917, “Heizer” worked with “Karl Schlenz”, the teacher of physical education in Berlin, to lay down the basic rules of the handball game. These rules were derived from two German games as well as from some football rules. In the same year, matches were held among 8 teams of female gymnasts in the gymnastics hall in Berlin, but the game did not represent competition in terms of rules that forbid running with the ball or attacking a player as soon as she possesses it. This game was not firstly practiced by men, but later on, it found acceptance among male gymnasts, football players and athletics. Men found that the new game was a means of warming up and an interesting activity during training. This acceptance from the German players prompted "Schlenz" to organize matches among men. He also modified some rules so that the game took the form of competition by both allowing the player to attack his/her opponent in case he/she has the ball, and permitting running with the ball. There was a difference in some rules of the game between men and women, as men used to play the game on football pitch, while women played the game on a court with a width of 50-60 m and a length of 70- 80 m. The goal was 5 meters wide and 2.10 high, and in front of the goal there was a circle of 8 meters’ radius. “Schlenz” continued to conduct studies for players as well as leaders from different cities in handball so that each of them could

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understand the nature of the game. He also sought the help of Berlin officials to make the game popular in other cities through shows and matches. In 1920, the first competition was held in Berlin, bringing together 10 men's teams, 4 women's teams, and 4 junior teams. In 1921, the first official German handball championship was held in Hanover. In 1926, a committee was elected for the first time to take upon itself to lead the handball game internationally. The game rules were set at the Eighth Congress of the International Athletics Federation held in The Hague, Netherlands. In 1927, the official international rules of handball were established, as until that date, there was still a difference in the rules of the game between men and women. In August 1928, a constituent assembly for the first International Amateur Handball Federation was held during the in Amsterdam. Berlin became the headquarters of the Federation with eleven countries attending the meeting; USA, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Austria, and Czechoslovakia. These countries were considered the founding members of the International Federation. In 1928, the rules of the game were unified for men and women, with the exception of the playing time (women play twenty minutes in two halves, whereas men play thirty minutes in two halves). The circumference of the ball was reduced from 71 cm to 58 cm; the matter which, technically, helped elevate the level of the game.

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In May 1930, at the Second Conference of the International Federation, membership of eight countries was accepted; i.e. Argentina, Egypt, Brazil, Japan, Poland, , Switzerland and Hungary. In 1925, the first international men's handball match was organized, which brought together Germany and Austria. In 1930, the first international women's handball match was held, which brought together the German and Austrian teams. In 1935, the first handball match in a closed hall was held between the Danish and Swiss teams. In 1938, the first international handball championship for men was held, in which 4 countries participated, and ended with the victory of Germany after defeating Austria, Denmark and Sweden. As for the first 11-player tournament, it was held during the period 7-11 July of the same year with the participation of ten teams and ended with the victory of Germany against Switzerland. After that date, activities of the old International Handball Federation ended with the outbreak of World War II on September 1, 1939. During 1939-1944, there was no activity due to the war.

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International Handball Federation (IHF) It is the organizing body for Handball, Beach Handball and Wheelchair Handball in the world. IHF is responsible for the organization of handball major tournaments, such as the World Men’s Handball Championship and the World Women’s Handball Championship. IHF was founded in 1946 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Its headquarters is in Basel, Switzerland. Its membership comprises 204 national federations from five continental federations, namely the Asian Handball Federation (AHF), the African Handball Confederation (CAHB), the European Handball Federation (EHF), the Oceania Continent Handball Federation (OCHF) and the Pan-American Team Handball Federation (PATHF). 1. The Asian Handball Federation (AHF) AHF is the governing body of handball and beach handball in Asia. It has 44 member countries, mostly from the Asian continent. AHF was formed officially on August 26, 1974. Its headquarters is located in Kuwait. Its current President is Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al- Jaber Al-Sabah from Kuwait. Official Website: asianhandball.org 2- The African Handball Confederation (CAHB) It was founded in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Its current president is Mansourou Aremou from Benin. It includes 49 countries.

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AHF organizes many tournaments, salient of which are the African Men’s Handball Championship, African Women’s Handball Championship, African Men’s Junior Handball Championship, African Women’s Junior Handball Championship, African Men’s Youth Handball Championship, African Women’s Youth Handball Championship, and the Clubs Champions. Official Website: cahbonline.info 3- The European Handball Federation (EHF) EHF was founded in 1991 in Austria. It comprises 52 members. Official Website: eurohandball.com 4- The Pan-American Team Handball Federation (PATHF) PATHF was founded in 1977 in Puerto Rico. It comprises 34 members. Official Website: panamhandball.org 5- Oceania Continent Handball Federation (OCHF) OCHF was founded in 1993 in Australia. It comprises 21 members. Official Website: ochf.org

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Chapter Two 26 Men’s Handball Championships until 2021

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1st Championship – Germany (February 5-6, 1938) Host City: Berlin. Teams: 4; Germany, Austria, Sweden and Denmark. Champion: Germany. Goals Scored: 53. Top Scorer(s): Yngve Lamberg (Sweden) and Hans Theilig (Germany) [6 goals]. Final Standings: 1. Gold Medal: Germany. 2. Silver Medal: Austria. 3. Bronze Medal: Sweden.

2nd Championship – Sweden (January 13-17, 1954) Host Cities: Gothenburg, Jönköping, Kristiansand, Lund, Malmö, Örebro and Växjö. Teams: 6; Sweden, West Germany, Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, Denmark and France. Champion: Sweden. Best Player: Bernhard Kempa. Top Scorer(s): Otto Maychrzak (Germany) [16 goals]. Final Standings: 1. Gold Medal: Sweden.

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2. Silver Medal: West Germany. 3. Bronze Medal: Czechoslovakia.

3rd Championship - East Germany (February 27 - March 8, 1958) Host Cities: East Berlin, Erfurt, Leipzig, Magdeburg and Rostock. Teams: 16; Sweden, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Denmark, Poland, Norway, Hungary, Yugoslavia, France, Iceland, Austria, Spain, Romania, Finland, Brazil (It was invited to be the first country to participate in the Championship from South America) and Luxembourg. Champion: Sweden. Top Scorer(s): Mogens Olsen (Denmark) [46 goals]. Final Standings: 1. Gold Medal: Sweden. 2. Silver Medal: Czechoslovakia. 3. Bronze Medal: Germany.

4th Championship – West Germany (March 1-12, 1961) Host Cities: Bensheim, Dortmund, Essen, Freyburg, Haslach, Hamburg, Karlsruche, Kiel, Krefeld, Munster, St. Ingbert, Stuttgart, Ulm, West Berlin, Wiesbaden and Wolfsburg.

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Teams: 12; Romania, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, France, Yugoslavia, Switzerland, Netherlands, Japan (the first country participating from outside Europe). Champion: Romania. Top Scorer(s): Petre Ivănescu (Romania) and Zdeněk Rada (Czechoslovakia) [24 goals each]. Final Standings: 1. Gold Medal: Romania. 2. Silver Medal: Czechoslovakia. 3. Bronze Medal: Sweden.

5th Championship – Czechoslovakia (March 6-15, 1964) Host Cities: Bratislava, Prague, Gottwaldov and Pardubice. Teams: 16; Romania, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, West Germany, Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Denmark, Hungary, Iceland, East Germany, Norway, Switzerland, Japan, France, Egypt and United States. Champion: Romania. Top Scorers: András Fenyő (Hungary), Josip markovic (Yugoslavia) and Ioan Moser (Romania) [32 goals each]. Final Standings: 1. Gold Medal: Romania. 2. Silver Medal: Sweden. 3. Bronze Medal: Czechoslovakia.

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6th Championship – Sweden (January 12-21, 1967) Host Cities: Borlänge, Eskilstuna, Falköping, Gothenburg, Halmstad, Helsingborg, Karlskrona, Kiruna, Köping, Kristianstad, Landskrona, Linköping, Luleå, Malmö, Malmberget and Örebro. Teams: 16; Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Romania, Soviet Union, Sweden, West Germany, Yugoslavia, Hungary, East Germany, France, Japan, Poland, Norway, Switzerland, and Canada. Champion: Czechoslovakia. Best Player: . Top Scorer: Hansi Schmidt (West Germany) [38 goals]. Final Standings: 1. Gold Medal: Czechoslovakia. 2. Silver Medal: Denmark. 3. Bronze Medal: Romania.

7th Championship – France (February 26 - March 8, 1970) Host Cities: Agen, Amiens, Angoulême, Bayonne, Besançon, Bordeaux, Cannes, Évreux, Grenoble, Hagondange, Longwy, Lyon, Metz, Mulhouse, Nantes, Orléans, Paris, Quimper, Rennes, Rouen, Saint-Nazaire, Strasbourg, Toulouse and Toyes.

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Teams: 16; Romania, East Germany, Yugoslavia, Denmark, West Germany, Sweden, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Soviet Union, Japan, Iceland, France, Norway, Poland, Switzerland and United States. Champion: Romania. Top Scorer(s): Vladimir Maksimov (Soviet Union). Final Standings: 1. Gold Medal: Romania. 2. Silver Medal: East Germany. 3. Bronze medal: Yugoslavia.

8th Championship - East Germany (February 28 - March 10, 1974) Host Cities: Brandenburg, Dassaw, East Berlin, Erfurt, Gera, Halle, Karl Marx Stadt, Magdeburg, Rostock, Schwerin and Wismar. Teams: 16; East Germany, Romania, Yugoslavia, Poland, Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Denmark, West Germany, Sweden, Bulgaria, Japan, Spain, Iceland, Algeria and United States. Champion: Romania. Top Scorer: Ştefan Birtalan (Romania) [43 goals]. Final Standings: 1. Gold Medal: Romania. 2. Silver Medal: East Germany. 3. Bronze medal: Yugoslavia.

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9th Championship – Denmark (January 6 - February 5, 1978) Host Cities: Aakirkeby, Aalborg, Aarhus, Aabenraa, Bornholm, Brøndby, Esbjerg, Fredericia, Frederikssund, Helsingør, Herning, Kalundborg, Køge, Næstved, Nykøbing, Odense, Randers, Ribe, Roende, Roskilde, Taastrup, Thisted and Vejle. Teams: 16; West Germany, East Germany, Soviet Union, Denmark, Yugoslavia, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Hungary, Spain, Czechoslovakia, Japan, Iceland, Bulgaria, Canada and France. Champion: West Germany. Top Scorers: Jerzy Klempel (Poland) and Péter Kovács (Hungary) [47 goals each]. Final Standings: 1. Gold Medal: West Germany. 2. Silver Medal: Soviet Union. 3. Bronze Medal: East Germany.

10th Championship - West Germany (February 23 - March 7, 1982) Host Cities: Böblingen, Brake, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Dortmund, Duisburg, Dusseldorf, Elsenfeld, Bellheim, Essen, Frankfurt, Göppingen, Günzburg, Gütersloh, Haltern, Hanover, Hamburg, Homberg, Kiel, Lübbecke, Ludwigshafen, Menden, Munich, Offenburg, Osnabrück, Sindelfingen and West Berlin.

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Teams: 16; Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Poland, Denmark, Romania, East Germany, West Germany, Spain, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Cuba, Japan, Kuwait and Algeria. Champion: Soviet Union. Top Scorer: Vasile Stîngă (Romania) [65 goals]. Final Standings: 1. Gold Medal: Soviet Union. 2. Silver Medal: Yugoslavia. 3. Bronze medal: Poland.

11th Championship – Switzerland (February 25 - March 8, 1986) Host Cities: Aarau, Basel, Bern, La Chaux-de- Fonds, Davos, Geneva, Luzern, Olten, St. Gallen, Solothurn, Winterthur and Zürich. Teams: 16; Yugoslavia, Hungary, East Germany, Sweden, Spain, Iceland, West Germany, Denmark, Romania, Soviet Union, Switzerland, South Korea, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Cuba and Algeria. Champion: Yugoslavia. Top Scorer(s): Kang Jae-won (67 goals). Final Standings: 1. Gold Medal: Yugoslavia. 2. Silver Medal: Hungary. 3. Bronze Medal: East Germany.

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12th Championship – Czechoslovakia (February 28 - March 10, 1990) Host Cities: Bratislava, Ostrava, Plzeň, Prague, Prešov, Žilina and Zlín. Teams: 16; Sweden, Soviet Union, Romania, Yugoslavia, Spain, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, France, Iceland, Poland, South Korea, Switzerland, Cuba, Japan and Algeria. Champion: Sweden. Top Scorer(s): Roberto Julián Duranona (Cuba) and Aleksandr Tuchkin (Soviet Union) [55 goals each]. Best Player: (France). Final Standings: 1. Gold Medal: Sweden. 2. Silver Medal: Soviet Union. 3. Bronze Medal: Romania.

13th Championship – Sweden (March 10-20, 1993) Host Cities: Eskilstuna, Gothenburg, Halmstad, Karlstad, Malmö, Stockholm and Umeå. Teams: 16; Russia, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Iceland, Denmark, Romania, Hungary, Egypt, Norway, Austria, South Korea and United States. Champion: Russia.

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Top Scorer(s): Marc Baumgartner (Switzerland), Kyung-Shin Yoon (Korea) and József Éles (Hungary) [41 goals each]. Best Player: Magnus Andersson (Sweden). Final Standings: 1. Gold Medal: Russia. 2. Silver Medal: France. 3. Bronze Medal: Sweden.

14th Championship – Iceland (May 7-21, 1995) Host Cities: Akureyri, Hafnarfjörður, Kópavogur and Reykjavík. Teams: 24; France, Croatia, Sweden, Germany, Russia, Egypt, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Belarus, Romania, Spain, South Korea, Cuba, Iceland, Tunisia, Algeria, Hungary, Slovenia, Denmark, Kuwait, United States, Morocco, Japan and Brazil. Champion: France. Top Scorer(s): Kyung-Shin Yoon (South Korea) [86 goals]. Best Player: Jackson Richardson (France). Final Standings: 1. Gold Medal: France. 2. Silver Medal: Croatia. 3. Bronze Medal: Sweden.

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15th Championship – Japan (May 17 - June 1, 1997) Host Cities: Kumamoto, Yamaga and Yatsushiro. Teams: 24; Russia, Sweden, Hungary, France, Iceland, Egypt, Spain, South Korea, Yugoslavia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Norway, Croatia, Cuba, Japan, Tunisia, Algeria, Italy, Portugal, China, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Morocco and Brazil. Champion: Russia. Top Scorer(s): Kyung-Shin Yoon (Korea) [62 goals]. Best Player: Talant Duyshebaev (Spain). Final Standings: 1. Gold Medal: Russia. 2. Silver Medal: Sweden. 3. Bronze Medal: France.

16th Championship – Egypt (June 1-15, 1999) Host Cities: Cairo, Port Said and Ismailia. Teams: 24; Egypt, Sweden, Russia, Yugoslavia, Spain, Germany, France, Cuba, Denmark, Croatia, Hungary, Tunisia, Norway, South Korea, Algeria, Brazil, Morocco, Macedonia, Kuwait, China, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Australia.

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Champion: Sweden. Top Scorer(s): Rolando Uríos (Cuba) [57 goals]. Best Player: Stefan Lövgren (Sweden). Final Standings: 1. Gold Medal: Sweden. 2. Silver Medal: Russia. 3. Bronze Medal: Yugoslavia.

17th Championship – France (January 23 - February 4, 2001) Host Cities: Albertville, Besançon, Dunkerque, Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes, Paris and Toulouse. Teams: 24; France, Sweden, Yugoslavia, Egypt, Spain, Russia, Ukraine, Germany, Croatia, Tunisia, Iceland, South Korea, Algeria, Norway, Argentina, Portugal, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Brazil, Greenland, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Morocco, and United States. Champion: France. Top Scorer(s): Eduard Koksharov (Russia) [61 goals]. Best Player: Stefan Lövgren (Sweden). Final Standings: 1. Gold Medal: France. 2. Silver Medal: Sweden. 3. Bronze Medal: Yugoslavia.

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18th Championship – Portugal (January 20 - February 2, 2003) Host Cities: Caminha, Espinho, Guimarães, Lisbon, Madeira, Póvoa de Varzim, Rio Maiorand Viseu. Teams: 24; Croatia, Germany, France, Spain, Russia, Hungary, Iceland, Yugoslavia, Denmark, Poland, Slovenia, Portugal, Sweden, Tunisia, Egypt, Qatar, Argentina, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Australia, Brazil, Morocco and Greenland. Champion: Croatia. Top Scorer(s): Carlos Pérez (Hungary) [64 goals]. Best Player: Christian Schwarzer (Germany). Final Standings: 1. Gold Medal: Croatia. 2. Silver Medal: Germany. 3. Bronze Medal: France.

19th Championship – Tunisia (January 23 - February 6, 2005) Host Cities: El Menzah, Nabeul, Radès, Sfax, Sousse, Hammamet and Tunis. Teams: 24; Spain, Croatia, France, Tunisia, and Montenegro, Greece, Norway, Russia, Germany, Czech Republic, Sweden, Slovenia, Denmark, Egypt, Iceland, Japan,

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Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Angola, Qatar, Kuwait, Canada and Australia. Champion: Spain. Top Scorer(s): Wissem Hmam (Tunisia) [81 goals]. Best Player: Ivano Balić (Croatia). Final Standings: 1. Gold Medal: Spain. 2. Silver Medal: Croatia. 3. Bronze Medal: France.

20th Championship – Germany (January 20 - February 4, 2007) Host Cities: Berlin, Bremen, Dortmund, Halle, Hamburg, Kiel, Köln, Lemgo, Magdeburg, Mannheim, Stuttgartand Wetzlar. Teams: 24; Germany, Poland, Denmark, France, Croatia, Russia, Spain, Iceland, Hungary, Slovenia, Tunisia, Czech Republic, Norway, Ukraine, South Korea, Argentina, Egypt, Kuwait, Brazil, Morrocoo, Angola, Greenland, Qatar and Australia. Champion: Germany. Top Scorer(s): Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson (Iceland) [66 goals]. Best Player: Ivano Balić (Croatia). Final Standings:

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1. Gold Medal: Germany. 2. Silver Medal: Poland. 3. Bronze Medal: Denmark.

21st Championship – Croatia (January 16 - February 1, 2009) Host Cities: Osijek, Poreč, Pula, Split, Varaždin, Zadarand . Teams: 24; France, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Serbia, Norway, Slovakia, Macedonia, South Korea, Spain, Egypt, Romania, Russia, Tunisia, Argentina, Algeria, Cuba, Brazil, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Australia. Champion: France. Top Scorer(s): Kiril Lazarov (Macedonia) [92 goals]. Best Player: Igor Vori (Croatia). Final Standings: 1. Gold Medal: France. 2. Silver Medal: Croatia. 3. Bronze Medal: Poland.

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22nd Championship – Sweden (January 13-31, 2011) Host Cities: Gothenburg, Jönköping, Kristianstad, Linköping, Lund, Malmö, Norrköpingand Skövde. Teams: 24; France, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, Croatia, Iceland, Hungary, Poland, Norway, Serbia, Germany, Argentina, South Korea, Egypt, Algeria, Japan, Slovakia, Austria, Romania, Tunisia, Brazil, Chile, Bahrain and Australia. Champion: France. Top Scorer(s): (Denmark) [68 goals]. Best Player: Nikola Karabatić (France). Final Standings: 1. Gold Medal: France. 2. Silver Medal: Denmark. 3. Bronze Medal: Spain.

23rd Championship – Spain (January 11-27, 2013) Host Cities: , Madrid, Granollers, Guadalajara, Seville and Zaragoza. Teams: 24; Spain, Denmark, Croatia, Slovenia, Germany, France, Russia, Hungary, Poland, Serbia, Tunisia, Iceland, Brazil,

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Macedonia, Belarus, Egypt, Algeria, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, South Korea, Montenegro, Chile and Australia. Champion: Spain. Top Scorer(s): (Denmark) [55 goals]. Best Player: Mikkel Hansen (Denmark). Final Standings: 1. Gold Medal: Spain. 2. Silver Medal: Denmark. 3. Bronze Medal: Croatia.

24th Championship – Qatar (January 15 - February 1, 2015) Host Cities: Doha and Lusail. Teams: 24; Qatar, Brazil, Spain, Belarus, Slovenia, Chile, Tunisia, Bosnia, Iran, Macedonia, Croatia, Austria, Algeria, Egypt, Sweden, Iceland, France, Czech Republic, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Poland, Germany, Denmark and Argentina. Champion: France. Top Scorer(s): Dragan Gajić [71 goals]. Best Player: (France). Final Standings: 1. Gold Medal: France. 2. Silver Medal: Qatar.

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3. Bronze Medal: Poland.

25th Championship – France (January 11-29, 2017) Host cities: Albertville, Brest, Lille, Metz, Montpellier, Nantes, Paris and Rouen. Teams: 24; France, Brazil, Russia, Japan, Poland, Norway, Slovenia, Angola, Macedonia, Tunisia, Spain, Iceland, Belarus, Chile, Germany, Hungary, Croatia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, Denmark, Argentina and Sweden. Champion: France. Top scorer(s): Kiril Lazarov [50 goals]. Best Player: Nikola Karabatić (France). Final Standings: 1. Gold Medal: France. 2. Silver Medal: Norway. 3. Bronze Medal: Slovenia.

26th Championship - Denmark and Germany (January 10-27, 2019) Host Cities: Copenhagen, Herning, Berlin, Cologne, Munich and Hamburg. Teams: 24; Denmark, Norway, France, Germany, Sweden, Croatia, Spain, Egypt, Brazil, Hungary, Iceland, Tunisia, Qatar,

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Russia, Macedonia, Chile, Argentina, Serbia, Austria, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Korea, Angola and Japan. Champion: Denmark. Top Scorer(s): Mikel Hansen (Denmark) [72 goals]. Best Player: Mikel Hansen. Final Standings: 1. Gold Medal: Denmark. 2- Silver Medal: Norway. 3- Bronze Medal: France.

World Cup Handball Championship Record - France: 6 titles. - Sweden: 4 titles. - Romania: 4 titles. - Germany: 2 titles. - Russia: 2 titles. - Spain: 2 titles. - Croatia: 1 title. - Yugoslavia: 1 title. - Soviet Union: 1 title. - West Germany: 1 title. - Czechoslovakia: 1 title. - Denmark: 1 title.

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Hosting Countries from 1938 to 2019 - Germany: 7 times (1938 – 1958 – 1961 – 1974 – 1982 – 2007 - 2019). - Sweden: 4 times (1954 – 1967 – 1993 - 2011). - France: 3 times (1970 – 2001 - 2017). - Denmark: 2 times (1978 - 2019). - Czechoslovakia: 2 times (1964 - 1990). - Egypt: 1 time (1999). - Iceland: 1 time (1995). - Japan: 1 time (1997). - Portugal: 1 time (2003). - Qatar: 1 time (2015). - Spain: 1 time (2013). - Switzerland: 1 time (1986). - Tunisia: 1 time (2005). - Croatia: 1 time (2009).

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Chapter Three World Cup 2021 Teams’ Ranking - Groups - Format

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First: Teams’ Ranking Row 1: Denmark – Spain – Croatia – Norway – Slovenia – Germany – Portugal - Sweden. Row 2: Egypt – Argentina – Tunisia – Algeria – Qatar – Austria – Hungary - Belarus. Row 3: Iceland – Brazil – France - South Korea – Japan – Bahrain – Czech - Uruguay. Row 4: Angola - Cape Verde – Democratic Republic of Congo – Morocco – Poland – Russia - National team from South America- National team from North America.

Second: Groups Group A Hungary - Germany - Uruguay - Cape Verde 1. Germany Road to Egypt 2021: Germany ranked fifth at the Men’s EHF EURO 2020. It reached the 27th Men’s Handball World Championship after the cancellation of European qualifiers. History: Germany has made 24 previous appearances in World Championships. It claimed the title three times; in 1938, 1978, and 2007. It was runner-up in 1954 and 2004, and ranked third in 1958.

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Coach: Alfred Gíslason. Nickname: Die Nationalmannschaft.

2. Hungary Road to Egypt 2021: Hungary ranked ninth at the Men’s EHF EURO 2020. It reached the 27th Men’s Handball World Championship after the cancellation of European qualifiers. History: It has participated in 18 editions of the Handball World Championships. Its most prominent achievement was in 1986 when it was qualified to the final, yet it failed to claim the title and became a runner-up for the first and last time. Its best achievements were ranking fourth and winning the bronze medal. Coach: István Gulyás. Nickname: Magyars.

3. Uruguay Road to Egypt 2021: Uruguay ranked third in the 2020 Men’s South and Central American Championship.

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History: The Uruguayan handball team is considered weak when compared to others, such as Germany, Denmark and France, in addition to some African teams surpassing it in history. Coach: Jorge Botejara. Nickname: La Celeste.

4. Cape Verde: Road to Egypt 2021: Cape Verde ranked fifth in the 2020 CAHB African Men’s Handball Championship. History: It is the African representative in the group. It is considered the weakest team in the group as this championship is its first ever appearance in international tournaments. Coach: José Tomaz. Nickname: Tubarões Azuis.

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Group B Spain - Tunisia - Poland - Brazil 1. Spain Road to Egypt 2021: Spain is the winner of the Men’s EHF EURO 2020. History: Spain is a two-time World Champion; in 2005 and 2013, while it ranked third in 1974 and 2011. Coach: Jordi Ribera. Nickname: La Roja Furia.

2. Tunisia Road to Egypt 2021: Tunisia ranked second in the 2020 CAHB African Men’s Handball Championship. History: Tunisia made 14 previous appearances in the World Championships, while its best performance was winning the fourth place in 2005. Coach: Sami Saïdi. Nickname: The Eagles of Carthage.

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3. Brazil Road to Egypt 2021: Brazil ranked second at the 2020 Men’s South and Central American Championship. History: Brazil made 14 previous appearances in the World Championships, and is considered the weakest team in Group B given its results in the previous tournaments. Its best achievement was in the World Championship 2019, when it ranked ninth. Coach: Washington Nunes. Nickname: Samba Dancers.

4. Poland Road to Egypt 2021: It is awarded an IHF Wild Card. History: Poland made 10 appearances in the World Championships and clinched runner-up place in 2007. Coach: Patryk Rombel. Nickname: White and Red.

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Group C Croatia - Qatar - Angola - Japan

1. Croatia Road to Egypt 2021: Croatia came second at the Men’s EHF EURO 2020. History: Croatia claimed the title once in 2003, and ranked second twice in 1995 and 2005. Coach: Lino Červar. Nickname: Vatreni.

2. Qatar Road to Egypt 2021: Qatar is the winner of the 2020 AHF Asian Men’s Championship. History: Qatar handball team started participation in the tournament in 2003 and achieved the 16th place. It participated in all editions, except for the 2011 event held in Sweden. It also snatched the second place in the 2015 World Championship in Qatar. Coach: Valero Rivera López (Spain). Nickname: The Maroons.

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3. Japan Road to Egypt 2021: Japan ranked third at the 2020 AHF Asian Men’s Championship. History: Japan made 14 appearances, the first of which was in the World Championship in West Germany in 1961, in which it came last, ranking 12th. It did not participate in many championships. In 2019, it ranked 24th, the last team in the final standings. Coach: Dagur Sigurosson (Iceland). Nickname: Samurai Warriors.

4. Angola Road to Egypt 2021: It ranked fourth in the 2020 African Nations Championship. History: It has a short history in handball on the international level. The team’s best performance was in 2005 when it ranked 20th. Its second appearance was in 2007 and it ranked 21st. Its third appearance was in France in 2017 championship where it ranked 24th. Its fourth international appearance was in 2019 championship where it ranked 23rd. Coach: José Pereira. Nickname: Palancas Negras.

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Group D Denmark - Argentina - DR Congo - Bahrain 1. Denmark Road to Egypt 2021: It won the title of 2019 IHF Men’s World Championship. History: Since the launch of the first edition in 1938, Denmark missed the World Championships three times only; in 1990, 1997, and 2001. In 2019, Denmark won their first Championship title by defeating Norway in the World Championship final. Coach: . Nickname: Danish Dynamite.

2. Argentina Road to Egypt 2021: It won the title at the 2020 Men’s South and Central American Championship. History: It has made 12 consecutive appearances. It did not miss any championship since its first appearance in the 1997 World Cup in Japan when it ranked 22nd. The team’s best ranking was the 12th in the Sweden World Cup in 2011 and in Qatar World Cup in 2015. Coach: Manolo Cadenas Montanes. Nickname: Los Gladiadores.

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3. Bahrain Road to Egypt 2021: Bahrain ranked fourth at the 2020 AHF Asian Men’s Championship. History: Bahrain participated 3 times; its first appearance was in the 2011 Handball World Cup in Sweden and ranked 23rd. Its second participation was in France World Cup in 2017, where it ranked 23rd. Its third appearance was in 2019 Championship where it showed its best performance as it ranked 20th. Coach: Michael Roth (Germany). Nickname: The Reds.

4. DR Congo Road to Egypt 2021: It ranked seventh at the 2020 CAHB African Men’s Handball Championship. History: It is going to make its first- ever World Championship appearance at Egypt 2021. Coach: Francis Tuzolana. Nickname: Les Léopards.

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Group E Norway - Austria - France - United States of America 1. Norway Road to Egypt 2021: Norway ranked third at the Men’s EHF Euro 2020. History: Norway has made 15 previous appearances at intervals. The longest absence of the Norwegian team was from the World Handball Cup Finals in the period from 1974 to 1993. The team was also absent from the 1995, 2003, 2013 and 2015 editions before returning to the 2017 edition. It recorded its best achievement throughout its history by reaching the final matches in 2017 and 2019. Its best achievement before this edition was ranking the sixth in the 1958 edition. Coach: Christian Berge. Nickname: Løvene (lions).

2. Austria Road to Egypt 2021: It ranked eighth in the men’s EHF Euro 2020. It reached the 2021 Men’s Handball World Championship after the cancellation of European qualifiers. History: Austria used to participate in the finals intermittently. Its first appearance in the World Cup was in 1938 and was the runner-up in its best achievement in its history.

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Then, it appeared again in the 1958 edition but left the championship from the preliminary round, to be absent for 9 successive editions until succeeding in reaching the finals of World Championship in Sweden in 1993. However, it left the championship from the preliminary round, to be absent again until the 2011 edition. Its last appearance was in the 2015 edition. Coach: Aleš Pajovič (Slovenia).

3. France Road to Egypt 2021: France reached the 27th Men’s Handball World Championship after the cancellation of European qualifiers, as it came 14th at the Men’s EHF Euro 2020. History: France was the title holder 6 times for the years 1995, 2001, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2017 and won the runner-up title once in 1993 and ranked third in 1997, 2003, and 2005. Coach: . Nickname: The Blue Roosters.

4. United States of America Road to Egypt 2021: USA was nominated by IHF to represent the North America and the Caribbean

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Handball Confederation (NACHC), as there were difficulties to organize the qualification tournament. History: USA participated in six championships, its last appearance was in 2001 World Cup. Coach: Robert Hedin.

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Group F Portugal - Algeria - Morocco - Iceland

1. Portugal Road to Egypt 2021: It ranked sixth in the Men’s EHF Euro 2020. It reached the 2021 Men’s Handball World Championship after the cancellation of European qualifiers. History: It made three appearances; the best was in 2003 when its team ranked 12th. Coach: Paulo Pereira. Nickname: Os Navegadores.

2. Algeria Road to Egypt 2021: It ranked third in the 2020 African Men’s Handball Championship. History: The team had 14 appearances and finished the 2001 tournament in the 13th Place. Coach: Alain Portes (France). Nickname: Les Fennecs.

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3. Iceland Road to Egypt 2021: Iceland ranked eighth at the EHF EURO 2020. It reached Egypt 2021 World Men’s Handball Championship after the cancellation of European qualifiers. History: The best ranking achieved by the national team is the fifth in the 1997 edition. Its first appearance was in 1958 and claimed the tenth place. In the last tournament in 2019, Iceland ranked eleventh It missed the world championships four times in 1967, 1982, 1999 and 2009. Coach: Guðmundur Guðmundsson.

4. Morocco Road to Egypt 2021: Morocco ranked sixth in the 2020 African Nations Championship. History: Morocco has made 6 previous appearances, and its best record was the 17th in 2001. Coach: Noureddine Bouhaddioui. Nickname: Atlas Lions.

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Group G Egypt - Sweden - Czech Republic - Chile 1. Egypt Road to Egypt 2021: Egypt is the host of the 2021 Men's Handball World Championship. History: It has made 15 previous appearances. It participated for the first time in Czechoslovakia in 1964. The Egyptians missed some championships before they appeared again in the 1993 World Championship and did not miss any championship since then. Its best achievement was ranking fourth in 2001. Coach: Roberto Garcia Parrondo (Spain). Nickname: The Pharaohs.

2. Sweden Road to Egypt 2021: Sweden ranked seventh at the EHF EURO 2020. It reached Egypt 2021 World Men’s Handball Championship after the cancellation of European qualifiers. History: Sweden has made 24 previous appearances. It won the championship 4 times in 1954, 1958, 1990 and 1999. it ranked fifth in the 26th edition. Coach: Glenn Solberg. Nickname: Bengan Boys.

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3. Czech Republic Road to Egypt 2021: Czech Republic ranked twelfth at the EHF EURO 2020. It reached Egypt 2021 World Men’s Handball Championship after the cancellation of European qualifiers. History: Czech Republic made 6 previous appearances in the World Championship; the first of which was in the 1995 championship where the Czech team showed best performance as it ranked eighth. The Czechs have failed to qualify for the last two editions of the World Championship in 2017 and 2019. Their last appearance was in the 24th edition held in Qatar 2015. Coach: Jan Filip.

4. Chile Road to Egypt 2021: The World Men’s Handball Championship qualifying matches were to be held in November among Chile, Paraguay, Colombia and El Salvador to determine the qualified team. But the travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic led to their cancellation. The SCAHC has nominated Chile national team to participate based on its level of performance in its last appearance in the championship. History: Chile has made 5 appearances since 2011. Coach: Mateo Jesús Garralda.

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Group H Slovenia - Belarus - Republic of Korea – Russia

1- Slovenia Road to Egypt 2021: It ranked fourth at the Men’s EHF EURO 2020. It reached the 2021 Men’s Handball World Championship after the cancellation of European qualifiers. History: Slovenia made eight previous appearances, with the third-place in 2017 standing as its best performance. Coach: Ljubomir Vranjes (Sweden). Nickname: Junaki, translated as “The Heroes”.

2- Belarus Road to Egypt 2021: It ranked tenth at the Men’s EHF EURO 2020. It reached the 2021 Men’s Handball World Championship after the cancellation of European qualifiers. History: Belarus made four previous appearances in the World Championship and its best ranking was in 1995 when it finished in the ninth place. Coach: Yuri Shevtsov. Nickname: White Wings.

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3. Republic of Korea Road to Egypt 2021: It ranked second in the 2020 AHF Asian Men’s Championship. History: It made 11 appearances. The first appearance of the South Korean team was in the 1986 Switzerland tournament where it ranked 12th. Korea was absent in 2003, 2005, 2015 and 2017. The most prominent event in the 2019 edition was its participation for the first time ever with a unified team from North and South Korea, as an initiative by the International Handball Federation with the support of the International Olympic Committee and its President. It was a rare event that gained everyone's attention, and the Korean team ranked 22nd. Coach: Kang Il-koo. Nickname: Taegeuk Warriors.

4. Russia Road to Egypt 2021: It is awarded an IHF Wild Card. History: It won the title in its first appearance in 1993 and in 1997, and it got the silver medal in 1999. With the beginning of the new millennium, the performance of the Russian team declined in the world championships. Since 1999, it has not won any championship. In 2019, the last

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tournament, the National Russian Team ranked fourteenth. Coach: Velimir Petković (Germany). Nickname: The Russian Bear.

Third: Format The matches of each of the eight groups, comprising 32 teams, are played in a single round-robin format, where each team plays three matches. Top three teams from each group will move to the main round, while the teams ranked last in their preliminary round groups play the President's Cup. Then, the first three winning teams from each two successive groups (A and B, C and D, E and F, and G and H) will be merged together into new 6-team groups. Thus, the 24 main round teams are divided into four groups of six teams each, playing in a single round-robin format. The eight teams, i.e. the top two from each group, will move to the quarterfinals, then the winning teams will advance to the semi-final and lastly to the final.

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Chapter Four Egyptian Preparations to Host the Championship

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Signing the Hosting Document, Draw Ceremony and Venues Egypt has been given the honor of organizing the 27th Men’s World Handball Championship. This came after an intense competition between the Egyptian and Hungarian files and a joint file by Poland and Norway; which confirms the confidence of the International Federation in Egypt and its ability to organize the event in the best possible way. The twenty- seventh edition differs from previous ones, as 32 countries participate in the 2021 World Cup. In this vein, 4 halls in three governorates will host 108 matches, in addition to providing 10 gyms for the teams’ training. Furthermore, around 1100 volunteers from the best young people were selected to participate in the organization of the Championship. They are going through an intensive training program on dealing with teams and delegations, and on the principles of first aid to make the Championship appear as best as possible.

First: Signing the Hosting Document On October 3, 2019, Minister of Youth and Sports, Dr. Ashraf Sobhy, witnessed the announcement and ceremony of signing the document of Egypt hosting the 27th Men's Handball World Championship 2021. The event was attended by the President of the International Handball Federation, Dr. Hassan Moustafa, Chairman of the Egyptian Olympic Committee, Eng. Hisham Hatab, President of the African Handball

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Confederation, Mansourou Aremou, President of the Egyptian Handball Federation, Eng. Hisham Nasr, members of the Federation’s Board of Directors, a number of dignitaries and a host of media men.

Second: Draw Ceremony Prime Minister, Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Youth and Sports, Dr. Ashraf Sobhy, and 17 ministers members of the Supreme Committee of the World Handball Championship, Egypt 2021, witnessed on September 5, 2020 the draw ceremony of the 27th edition of the Championship, at the foot of the pyramids. The ceremony was attended by, the President of the International Handball Federation, Dr. Hassan Moustafa, a number of governors and ambassadors’ representatives of their countries, as well as officials of the International and Egyptian Handball Federations, the participating teams, and a group of Egypt’s national handball team players.

Third: Championship Logo The Organizing Committee of the 2021 World Handball Championship revealed the tournament’s logo, which depicts a combination between the Pharaonic key of life (Ankh) and a shooting handball player.

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Fourth: Championship Mascot Horus is the mascot of the tournament.

Fifth: Venues IHF, under Dr. Hassan Moustafa, announced the four venues that will host the Championship:

1- Main Hall of Cairo International Stadium Year of Foundation: 1991. Capacity: 17,000. It is the home of prominent Egyptian handball players and the main venue of the tournament. It is located in the Cairo Stadium Indoor Halls Complex. It received an efficiency upgrade in 2015, at a cost of EGP 133 million, as part of Egypt’s successful national effort to win the right to host Egypt 2021 Men’s World Handball Championship. Cairo Stadium is distinguished by its location in the heart of the Egyptian capital; only 10 km away from Cairo International Airport and 30 km

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from downtown. It is at the center of the city’s infrastructure network of roads, hotels, and medical facilities. Cairo Stadium Main Hall has hosted previous international handball tournaments; the 1999 Men's World Handball Championship, and the 1993 and 2009 Men's Junior World Championships, as well as the African Men's Handball Championship finals five times.

2- New Capital Sports City Indoor Hall Year of Foundation: 2020. Capacity: 7,500. It is considered one of the newest sport facilities, built specially to host, the 27th Men’s Handball World Championship, Egypt 2021. It is a part of an integrated sports city that was built at a total cost of EGP 2.2 billion. It comprises an indoor halls complex, a swimming pool complex, an area for football fields, futsal courts and tennis courts, among many other constructions. The hall is located 60 Km away from downtown Cairo, and 60 km away from Ain-Sokhna Resort. This makes it an ideal location, easy to move to or from, thanks to an extensive network of new roads and transportation systems.

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3- 6th of October Sports Hall (The Egyptian Handball Federation Hall) Year of Foundation: 2020. Capacity: 5,200. It is located in the heart of the 6th October City, western Cairo. It is considered among the newest halls to host the Championship. The city is full of all the amenities needed to give teams and fans an amazing experience. The hall comprises a VIP lounge, a training hall, a fully equipped spa for teams, and the headquarters of the Egyptian Handball Federation and the CAHB Academy. The hall is only 36 km away from downtown Cairo, and is part of the historical Giza Governorate.

4- Borg El Arab Sports Hall, Alexandria Year of Foundation: 2020. Capacity: 5000. Built in 2007, Borg El Arab Stadium is one of the largest football fields in Africa. It witnessed Egypt’s qualification for the 2018 World Cup after a 28-year absence. A new 5,000-spectator Sports Hall, located in the city adjacent to Alexandria in the far north of Egypt, has been established within the framework of Egypt’s successful bid to host the 27th Men’s World Championship. As the first appearance of Borg El Arab Football Stadium was in a global

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championship, i.e. the 2009 Youth World Cup, the first appearance of Borg El Arab Hall will be in the 27th edition of the 2021 Men’s World Championship. The hall is 200 km from downtown Cairo and 40 km from Alexandria.

Sixth: Services Provided

 Ministry of Communication and Information Technology 1- Providing stadiums with devices, technical requirements, information and communication technology services that meet the latest global technologies. 2- Providing the technology requirements needed for Egypt to host the Africa Cup of Nations 2019. 3- Revising all engineering arrangements to prepare communication networks for the new hall under construction in accordance with the IHF standards. 4- Revising the IHF and the organizing committee’s needs in terms of devices, equipment, and internet and ICT infrastructure preparations. 5- Providing stadiums with the latest world technologies, equipping media centers with computers, lap tops, internet networks, and providing all logistics such as modern printers, photocopiers, and virtual display screens. 6- Providing the four halls with wireless units, with Wi-Fi and Mi- Fi devices to provide 4G internet services.

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 Ministry of Health and Population The Ministry’s plan depends on four pivots: 1- Risk Assessment: It will be done through classifying the degree of Coronavirus spread in the participating countries and applying routine quarantine measures to all participants. Moreover, the level of the preventive and precautionary measures in dealing with the delegations of those countries will be raised without affecting the activities scheduled to be held. In addition, a PCR test will be conducted for all delegations upon arrival to the hotels and it will be repeated every 72 hours. 2- Raising Awareness: This is done through providing training materials and preventive guidance to all participants in the tournament. There will also be a training for all medical teams on the mechanism of dealing with suspected cases and the way of reporting them, and identifying points of contact in each hotel and for each team separately. Furthermore, the Ministry will provide the scientific material and formulate it in a way suitable for display on screens. In addition, there will be a training for work teams in hotels, stadiums, and administrative bodies participating in the tournament on the preventive measures. Moreover, there will be a training for waste collectors on how to deal with dangerous wastes in safe ways. 3- Precautionary Measures: They include keeping the personnel who have direct contact with each sports delegation in every hotel or stadium with the

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same delegation until its departure. Also, it includes keeping all kinds of personnel in the form of fixed groups with each team throughout the tournament so as to deal with specific persons in order to limit the spread of infection and facilitate the process of following-up contacts. 4- Apply the rules of physical distance: This is done by dividing the stadium into areas each of them is marked with a different color and has certain precautionary measures. The individuals allowed into each area must stay inside it- and not to exceed the maximum number permitted. The physical distancing measures include decreasing overcrowding in the training times and in official matches, and ensuring distancing in meetings, dining rooms, rest areas and living quarters. This is in addition to ensuring that the number of people doesn’t exceed the carrying capacity, which is between 25% and 50%, and that the buses transporting the technical and administrative teams are not overcrowded. In addition, entry paths other than the exit paths of the courts and fields will be designated, ensuring that the places are well ventilated, while using open areas as an alternative if possible. The measures also include ensuring that all participants are wearing face masks in common premises, recommending the use of single-use plates and cups when eating or drinking in the rooms, ensuring that the participants are not sharing clothes and personal stuff with others, that everything is regularly cleaned and that a healthy safe environment is provided. This can be guaranteed when the hotel and field managements provide all the supplies needed to prevent infection, regularly cleanse all the public areas and common surfaces, alert the managements on the necessity of providing hand sanitizers at all times in the different places visited

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by the sports delegations (hotels, restaurants, fields, buses, meeting rooms, etc.), ensure that the personal preventive kits; such as face masks, alcohol cleansers, single-use gloves, are available and ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of the personal preventive kits and their availability at all times. 5- Activating the Preventive Crises Room to operate 24/7 to receive reports regularly from the championship hosting governorates. 6- Allocating a Fast Response Team in the places where the event is held to deal immediately with suspected cases and follow up those in contact with positive cases, while ensuring that suitable isolation rooms are available in the hotels, gyms, and stadiums, along with applying all the anti-infection measures. 7- Activating the Electronic Diseases Surveillance System as a precautionary measure. In case one of the participants has simple symptoms, the case will be assessed medically and a swab will be made to perform a PCR testing and then the patient will be isolated in his/her hotel room or in the designated isolation room. The Ministry of Health and Population will be informed of the case to be able to coordinate the designated place in which the infected person will be isolated, while following up his/her contacts.

Other Services: 1- All those who cover the championship; together with their institutions and employees, must abide by local laws as well as the measures concerning the prevention plan from Coronavirus. This includes PCR tests every 72 hours, wearing

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face masks as well as keeping appropriate distances and continuous hand wash. In addition, all broadcasting personnel should abide by local prerequisites during their work, such as using Plexiglass that separates operation sites. 2- Briefing all those who work in the match hall of all the prerequisites and the prohibitions beforehand. The hall medical team will make sure of respecting all measures. 3- Decreasing the number of media delegates and broadcasting companies to the minimum level according to the capacity of every hall as well as providing medical services for those media delegates. 4- Determining the allowed number of persons to work in the halls according to the Egyptian Law, as well as the available areas in terms of applied medical procedures in addition to the number of persons allowed in every part of the playground in accordance with Article 9.3 of the plan.

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