The International Handball Federation (IHF), the world's governing body of the sport, has announced that the Asian Women's Youth Handball Championship would take place in India for the eighth time in 2023.
The Handball Association of India (HAI), the only recognised national organisation associated with the IHF and Asian Handball Federation (AHF), will have the exclusive rights to organise the event, according to IHF vice president Badar Mohammad Al Tayyab.
The 10-day competition would be place in Noida from July 23 to August 1 of the following year following the signature of the "host city" agreement between the IHF and HAI's executive director Anandeshwar Panday in the presence of the AHF's technical director Mohamed Yusuf Taleb.
Ten teams will participate in the competition, which will automatically qualify them for the 2023 World Youth Women's Handball Championship, which will take place in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden from November 30 to December 17, and will feature ten teams. The reigning champions South Korea and the hosts India are among the participating teams.
The other eight participating nations are Iran, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, China, Chinese Taipei, Japan, and Chinese Taipei.
The IHF Statutes state that the only national handball federation permitted by the IHF and AHF to manage the game in India is the HAI, which is currently run by Jagan Mohan Rao. "We do not recognise any other federation that is operating in India at the same time. The Indian Sports Ministry should quickly recognise the HAI, the IHF and AHF would like to request," adds Al Tayyab.
