Ahead of the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship final today, IHF President Dr. Hassan Moustafa, along with IHF Representative Joel Delplanque, met with Her Majesty’s Consul-General in Ekaterinburg, Martin Fenner.

Mr. Fenner was at the Divs arena to also meet the British referee couple Brian Bartlett and Allan Stokes who have been whistling at their third Junior World Championships - after whistling in Argentina in 2011 and Hungary in 2013 - and who have taken charge of five games over the past two weeks including the President’s Cup match between Poland and Germany.

“It was great to come to the Divs sports hall today to support the British referees here and to see handball live for the first time,” said Mr. Fenner.

“Brian and Allan provided a fascinating insight into the game underway (3/4 Placement).  It was also interesting to hear how they became international referees from a background as handball players themselves for Scotland and Great Britain.

“I also had the pleasure to meet Dr Hassan Moustafa, President of the International Handball Federation, and Joel Delplanque, the IHF Representative. We discussed a number of sporting topics, including the recent election of Britain’s Seb Coe to the IAAF Presidency.

“It was fantastic to see so many volunteers from the city working hard throughout the venue – they are a credit to the city.

“Many will I am sure represent Ekaterinburg and the Urals as the region continues to be a great supporter of sport in Russia, not least as it prepares to host the FIFA World Cup in 2018."