The head of the Handball Federation of Russia Sergey Shishkarev in the program "Vse na match!" on Match TV channel announced that the EHF has withdrawn the right of Russia to host the 2026 European Women’s Championship not for political reasons.
— I feel sorry for the players and, first of all, for fans, who were waiting for the competitions. Handball is gaining traction, becomes more popular. It could be an opportunity to see not only Anna Vyakhireva, Daria Dmitrieva and other our girls, but also leading European athletes.
As a leader, I would say, that everything went as gentlemanly as possible. We kept in touch, held video conference with the European Handball Federation leadership. Diplomatic correctness and tolerance were fully adhered, as far as it could be respected. It is truly a joint decision.
We are unable to meet technical requirements for inspection, preparation of the arenas, organization of supporters receiving. We cannot meet the specific demands at the moment. We couldn’t delay the decision on the matter. Unfortunately, the decision was made and approved. In the present case it is devoid of any political context, — Sergey Shishkarev noted.
The head of the HFR in a detailed interview summed up the results of the past season, touched upon the issues of men’s and women’s championships of Russia.
