President of the Russian Handball Federation (FGR) Sergei Shishkarev told he was grateful to the International Handball Federation (IHF) for an objective decision regarding Norwegian Handball Federation (NHF) chief Kare Geirom Lio, who called for Russia’s exclusion from the IHF.
Previously, the NHF chief demanded that Russia be excluded from the IHF and the European Handball Federation, as well as the termination of contracts with Russian sponsors. After reviewing the application of the Russian Handball Federation, the IHF Ethics Committee issued a warning to President Kara Geirom Lio.
– I thank the International Handball Federation for its objectivity and for the fact that it considered our call not from the point of view of the political conjuncture, but from the point of view of common sense. Let me remind you that at the beginning of March, on the official website of the Norwegian Handball Federation, unacceptable statements were made to us – “get out of the International Federation, no Russian sponsorship in the Champions League” . I was accused of all kinds of sins and was not bound to anything. Linguistic and legal expertise found it impossible to agree with this, and the Russian Handball Federation turned to the Ethics Commission of the International Federation.
The IHF demanded an explanation from the president of the Norwegian Handball Federation, but his explanation was not accepted. As a result, his fabrications were recognized as slanderous, damaging my reputation, undermining my human dignity both as head of the Delo group of companies and as president of the FGR. The Norwegian colleague has been warned and informed that such statements are unacceptable.
I think it’s a small, if not a victory, but a triumph for the idea that sport should be outside of politics. Emotionally, I understand my Norwegian colleagues. On their part, it is an attempt to avenge us for the defeats at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics. The Norwegians cannot forget these defeats, but it is not clear why they want revenge not on the sports field, but with some kind of statements. The Norwegians, before the semi-finals of the Tokyo Olympics, raised such hype that they would kill the Russians, that five years after the last defeat they were waiting for this hour. But in the end they again lost to Russia.
I would like to close this topic. I hope that there will be no more such declarations addressed to us. Things have to be settled in sport, not in verbal battles. Alas, there are more and more such accusations coming from Norway. Russophobic feelings must stop,” Shishkarev told .
Source : MatchTV
