The first week of March saw an exciting step toward future Olympic competitions as the first meetings were held between the International Handball Federation and the USA Olympic Committee. IHF President Dr Hassan Moustafa is currently in the USA for several meetings, beginning with the USOC discussions planning for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

The first meeting with the US Olympic Committee was held in Colorado Springs, home to the USOC headquarters, where topics included the handball competitions at recent Olympic Games such as Rio de Janeiro and London, cooperation between the location Organising Committee and the IHF in planning for the Games, and preparatory events leading up to 2028. In addition, President Moustafa discussed the strategy for the promotion of non-traditional US sports at the Games and the global perspective from the 2024 Games in Paris up to LA 2028.

The USOC and Dr Moustafa also used the opportunity to discuss their shared goals for the development of handball in the USA, up to 2028 and beyond, including individual focus on development projects, potential partnerships and communication strategies. The IHF recruited Mr Jean Brihault as IHF adviser who will follow up the IHF strategy for the development of handball in the USA.

President Moustafa arrived in Colorado Springs for the USOC meeting on February 28, staying in Colorado until March 4, when he will travel to Los Angeles for further meetings with the LA 2028 Organising Committee and a tour of the Olympic venues. Finally, he will attend the Pan American Beach Handball Championships in Oceanside which serve as qualification event for the 2018 IHF Men’s and Women’s Beach Handball World Championships in Kazan, Russia at the end of July.