There is constant communication with all stakeholder groups, namely the clubs and the national federations, as the EHF continues to monitor the developments also because decisions on the level of sport and business need to be made.
"We aim to keep the sport as much as possible away from the political developments," says EHF President Michael Wiederer.
"The athletes, no matter where they are coming from, and everyone, who is involved in our activities, deserve that their competitions are organised in the best possible way.
"At the same time, the sport of handball is dependent on political decisions and those made by the respective authorities. This related to the most recent pandemic as it relates now to current questions of safety and security."
The European Handball Federation and its 50 member federations have managed several major crises in the past, and in all challenges a close cooperation was put in place in the best possible way, taking into consideration the situation of everyone involved. This also applies to partnerships on the business level.
The current topic of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is one that touches questions which need to be solved on the political and economic level.
A sponsoring agreement is in place with the Swiss-based company, Nord Stream 2 AG, as official partner of the EHF Champions League Men, which was brokered by EHF Marketing, the marketing arm of the European Handball Federation.
The implementation of the agreement in 13 European countries is coordinated with all parties involved, and the partnership between Nord Stream 2 and the EHF Champions League Men has been reliable since its introduction in 2018.
There is a constant communication between the partners, as there is an impact on the rundown and organisation of the competition which the EHF has to manage.
The European Handball Federation has no direct contract with Nord Stream 2. However, the federation will continue to monitor the development of the situation to evaluate and coordinate any future steps.
"We hope that some principles of our sport can also serve as example in the current crisis," says Michael Wiederer.
"In handball every situation is solved in the spirit of fair play directly between the protagonists. The EHF hopes that despite the critical situation solutions via dialogues can be found to resolve the current conflict in the interest of the people concerned, and from our side the many protagonists being part of the world of handball."
