After officially agreeing to represent the North America and the Caribbean Handball Confederation (NACHC) at the 2021 IHF Men’s World Championship in Egypt next year, following the NACHC request and IHF announcement last week, USA Team Handball (USATH) have wasted no time preparing for the championship which is set to take place from 13 to 31 January 2021.

In line with their membership of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), USATH is required to make their athlete and staff selection process public, especially for tournaments that are covered by the ‘Amateur Sports Act’ (known as the Ted Stevens Act) of the United States of America (USA). 

And with that in mind, on Monday 2 November, USATH announced an ‘Athlete Evaluation and Selection’ process for the USA team set to compete at Egypt 2021.

A ‘Men’s National Team Selection Committee’ is now busy identifying and evaluating talented handball players for Egypt 2021, but in a different way than usually.

“Since we cannot conduct an in-person selection process, it must be done virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Melissa Zhang, USATH Communications Manager, along with a member of the USATH Board in a joint statement to ihf.info. “Openness and transparency to our national team athlete selection is vital to our Olympic and Paralympic sport system.”

That process includes a number of key dates:

Saturday 14 November: Deadline for player submissions
Sunday 15 November: Provisional list of players formed (35 players) and sent to IHF
Saturday 5 December: Final selection made; notifications sent to players

Selection is based on a number of different administrative criteria, including holding a valid U.S. Passport, as well as athletic criteria, submitted via a 15-minute video which includes examples of playing abilities such as running, jumping, passing, catching, shooting, offensive attack, defensive techniques and game situations. Goalkeepers will be evaluated on skills specific to their position.

For further information on the criteria involved and how to apply visit here.

“I am constantly evaluating our players based on updates and video analysis,” said Robert Hedin, USATH Men’s Senior Head Coach, to ihf.info.

“Every country has a different process for evaluation and selection of players and the process for the U.S. National Team is based on communication as well as athletes and coaches meeting certain guideline requirements that are consistent with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee's policies.
 
“I will evaluate [the players] and confirm them with the Men’s National Team Selection Committee,” added the 2003 IHF Men’s World Championship gold medallist with Sweden. “It's always great to discuss the final roster with a group of trusted and experienced peers.”

In addition to the player evaluation and selection process announced last week, a staff evaluation and selection process was announced yesterday, with a submission deadline of 23 November, full details can be found here.

Egypt 2021 will be the first time the USA have appeared at an IHF Men’s World Championship since France 2001 and they have been drawn into Group E where they will face Norway, Austria and France.

“While this invitation to compete at the 2021 IHF Men’s World Championship comes after a long absence, our team will be prepared to compete in Egypt, but fully acknowledge we are in a difficult group,” added the USATH statement.

“COVID-19 has been affecting handball across the world, and USA Team Handball is no different. It is a bit more challenging to conduct open try-outs, which we would typically host prior to major international competitions. 

“The United States has high COVID-19 infection rates, so this naturally affects assembling coaches, athletes and staff for training camps. We are following all of the recommended guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the USOPC, and the IHF. 

“However, we have our preparation plan in place and the United States will represent the NACHC by putting our heart and soul into every play and aspect of the competition,” it added.

“We recognise the tremendous importance of this spot at Egypt 2021, we fully plan to make the most of this opportunity, and we will be ready to go when it is time to travel.”

In other USATH news, their search committee for a new CEO is close to the end of the process with an announcement imminent, while the USA Team Handball Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee (DEI) has been announced, featuring 11 appointments from across the country with a variety of backgrounds and experiences including Olympic athletes, collegiate athletes, club athletes, national team athletes, coaches, referees, team administrators, and USATH staff and board members.

To follow the USA Team Handball activities via a variety of channels, visit their website at www.usateamhandball.org.