According to Article 13.3.5 of the IHF Statutes, the IHF Council shall confirm the candidates’ applications (submitted to the IHF Head Office by 11 August 2017) and their compliance with the conditions stipulated in the Statutes. Therefore, similar to the procedure applied in 2013, the IHF Council decided on 4 May 2017 to form a Working Group of Candidatures for IHF Positions as per Article 13.3.15 of the IHF Statutes, which shall study all candidatures for the different IHF positions, including the continental candidates to the Council and Commissions and Commission members. At the same time, due to the fact that some IHF Council members are involved in the elections, the IHF Council authorised the Working Group of Candidatures for IHF Positions to confirm the candidatures which will be submitted to the Congress for decision. 

The Working Group of Candidatures for IHF Positions, according to the IHF Council decision, is composed of Mr Jean Brihault (FRA), formerly Europe’s Vice-President of the IHF and Honorary President of European Handball Federation, as chairman, as well as Mr Jörgen Holmqvist (SWE), IHF Honorary Member and lawyer by profession, and Mr Gerhard Hofbauer (AUT), President of Austrian Handball Federation, as members. Mr Ulrich Rubeli, President of Swiss Handball Federation, had also been invited to join the working group, but he apologised for his non-availability.

 

The Working Group of Candidatures for IHF Positions met in Tbilisi, Georgia on 17 August 2017 to study the candidatures received by the deadline of 11 August 2017 in terms of their compliance with the IHF criteria for candidates standing for IHF positions, which had been communicated by the IHF Head Office to the IHF stakeholders on 11 July 2017, including Article 12.3.15 of the IHF Statutes (“A candidate standing for one of the IHF major positions must have held six years’ high level involvement and experience in his National Federation or Continental Confederation as an administrator, player, coach or referee”). Despite the fact that Mr Sergey Shishkarev’s candidature for the position of IHF Executive Committee Member was not in compliance with Article 12.3.15 of the IHF Statutes, his candidature was forwarded by the IHF Head Office to the Working Group of Candidatures for IHF Positions.

After studying the candidatures based on information received from federations/candidates, the Working Group of Candidatures for IHF Positions grouped the candidates into the following categories:

 

- Fulfilling all criteria

- Not fulfilling criteria, such as the 6-years high-level involvement in handball according to Article 12.3.15 of the IHF Statutes

 

Mr Jean Brihault, Chairman of the Working Group of Candidatures for IHF Positions, presented the outcome of the working group to the IHF Council in its meeting in Tbilisi on 18 August 2017. The IHF Council took note of Mr Jean Brihault’s report and asked him, in collaboration with the IHF Managing Director, to communicate the input of the working group to all candidates separately.

 

According to the IHF Council decision, official letters including the input of the working group were sent to all candidates separately on 1 September 2017. In the case of Mr Sergey Shishkarev, the IHF informed him that the Working Group of Candidatures for IHF Positions concluded that his candidature for the position of IHF Executive Committee Member is not in compliance with the aforementioned criteria, due to the fact that the criterion of 6-years high-level involvement in handball is not fulfilled according to Article 12.3.15 of the IHF Statutes (see above). No reply has been received from Mr Sergey Shishkarev to the aforementioned IHF letter until the date of the 2017 Ordinary IHF Congress (11 November 2017).

 

Despite Mr Sergey Shishkarev’s arrival to Antalya two days before the Congress and his presence shortly before the IHF Council meeting on 9 November 2017, a representative of the Handball Federation of Russia submitted a letter to IHF Managing Director Mrs Amal Khalifa ten minutes before the opening of the 2017 Ordinary IHF Congress in Antalya, Turkey on 11 November 2017.

 

The letter was immediately forwarded by IHF Managing Director Mrs Amal Khalifa to IHF President Dr Hassan Moustafa who then approached Mr Jean Brihault, Chairman of the Working Group of Candidatures for IHF Positions, to study the content of the letter (justifying that Mr Sergey Shishkarev’s candidature for the position of IHF Executive Committee Member complies with the provisions stipulated in Article 12.3.15 of the IHF Statutes, taking into consideration that he has chaired the Handball Federation of Russia for almost three years after having been Adviser to the Head of Board of Trustees of Handball Federation of Russia for four years; arguing that the working group analysed his experience incorrectly, and requesting to give the Congress the possibility to vote on his candidature) with the working group members. In the first coffee break, the working group met and concluded that the letter was not relevant, as no proof of the required 6-years high-level involvement in handball was attached to the letter.

 

Prior to the elections, Mr Jean Brihault, Chairman of the Working Group of Candidatures for IHF Positions, presented the working method as well as the outcome of the working group, stressing that the work of the working group was based on information received from federations/candidates and did not reflect any personal opinion concerning the candidates.

 

In the course of the election of the IHF Executive Committee Members, Mr Sergey Shishkarev asked for the floor which was approved by the IHF President, and he presented his arguments, which were stated in the letter, to the Congress. Mr Jean Brihault, Chairman of the Working Group of Candidatures for IHF Positions, once again outlined the working method of the working group, adding that no proof of the required 6-years high-level involvement in handball was attached to the letter from the Handball Federation of Russia. After Mr Jean Brihault’s input related to the letter from the Handball Federation of Russia, Mr Sergey Shishkarev did not make any remark. Therefore, the election process of the IHF Executive Committee Members was continued without any objection from Mr Sergey Shishkarev.

 

Despite the handling of the letter from the Handball Federation of Russia by the Working Group of Candidatures for IHF Positions, Mr Sergey Shishkarev approached IHF Managing Director Mrs Amal Khalifa during the lunch break in an inappropriate manner, accusing her of failing to present the letter concerned to the Congress.

 

Before giving Mr Sergey Shishkarev the floor to present his bid for the organisation of the 2019 Ordinary IHF Congress, IHF President Dr Hassan Moustafa reported again on the letter received from the Handball Federation of Russia and gave the floor to Mr Jean Brihault, Chairman of the Working Group of Candidatures for IHF Positions, who explained once again the working method of the working group. In addition, the IHF Arbitration Tribunal Chairman stated that the letter and its content cannot be considered as motion and cannot change the opinion and outcome of the working group. Mr Jörgen Holmqvist, member of the Working Group of Candidatures for IHF Positions, fully agreed with their interpretation. IHF President Dr Hassan Moustafa asked the Congress delegates if they agree to the outcome of the Working Group of Candidatures for IHF Positions and the IHF Arbitration Tribunal with regard to Mr Sergey Shishkarev (not fulfilling the IHF criteria according to Article 12.3.15 of the IHF Statutes). The Congress agreed to the outcome of the Working Group of Candidatures for IHF Positions and the IHF Arbitration Tribunal with 105 votes in favour, one vote against and ten abstentions.