Handball chaos: Norway can drop out of the World Cup - five weeks before the premiere

Despite the corona pandemic, it is still thought that the women's European Championships will be played as planned, in Norway and Denmark in December.

But the Norwegian Handball Association is now flagging that they may be forced to withdraw from the event, just five weeks before the planned premiere.

The reason is that the Norwegian corona rules can cause problems.

"We see the risk"

If a player or leader of a team playing in Norway becomes infected, the entire team - and any opposing teams - will be forced to be quarantined, which would mean that the team in question must withdraw from the championship.

In Denmark, only the infected player must be isolated.

- We see the risk and there are things we have to think about, says the Norwegian union's chairman Kåre Geir Lio to the newspaper VG, who then asks if Norway can resign the entire organizer:

- Yes.

It can be so.

We must accept the situation as it is now.

We plan for everything and choose the best.

But it may actually be that we do not get it.

EHF has several scenarios

Swedish Stefan Lövgren is a member of the European Handball Federation's executive committee.

He has read VG's article and is aware of the problem, but says he does not know what would happen if Norway can not arrange the championship.

- You have worked quite early - as really everyone works now - with scenario A, B, C, D or 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. What happens if it or it happens?

The first alternative, that the tournament would be played entirely as usual, could be canceled quite quickly, he says to SVT Sport, and continues:

- But exactly what has happened and will happen in the future at the level of detail, I do not know right now.

Do you think there is a risk that the entire European Championship will be postponed?

- It is probably almost presumptuous that there is no risk to it as the world looks with corona.

On the other hand, until now there has at least been a solution that I think most people have thought was quite sensible to be able to play a championship.

- But if it changes again, you have to look at it and think again.

But the risk exists as the world looks today with corona.

The Norwegian Handball Association has worked out an infection control protocol which is now being evaluated by the Norwegian health authorities.

"We are many who hope and believe that the European Handball Championship can be carried out in a strict, responsible infection-proof manner," writes Minister of Culture Abid Raja to VG.