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On 19 May, President of the Belarusian Handball Federation Vladimir Konoplyov, acting on the recommendation of Belarus men’s national team head coach Yuri Shevtsov, held a telephone conversation with International Handball Federation President Dr Hassan Moustafa.
The discussion focused on the possible participation of the Belarus men’s national team at the 2027 IHF Men’s World Championship, which will be staged in Germany in January. Later this week, the IHF Council is expected to decide on the recipients of the two wild cards for the tournament.
During the conversation, Konoplyov repeatedly urged Dr Moustafa to support a positive decision regarding the allocation of a wild card to Belarus. He stressed that the matter could be resolved personally by the IHF President.
The Belarusian federation chief also recalled that on 28 February 2022, the International Olympic Committee recommended the exclusion of Belarusian athletes and teams from official international competitions. According to Konoplyov, that decision contradicted the principles of the Olympic Charter. He further noted that the IOC lifted all restrictions concerning Belarus on 7 May 2026 and asked that these circumstances be taken into account, arguing that Belarus should be compensated for what he described as a long and unjust suspension by being granted a place at the upcoming World Championship.
Dr Hassan Moustafa, for his part, said that the IHF would soon hold talks with the IOC to discuss the possible return of teams from Belarus and Russia to official international handball competitions. The IHF President added that he would do everything within his power.
The Belarusian Handball Federation has previously submitted several written requests to the IHF President regarding the possibility of receiving a wild card for the 2027 World Championship.
