A few days after his nomination as a candidate for the Presidential Office of the World Handball Association IHF, Gerd Butzeck commented on the Olympic future of his sport.
“In particular due to the deselection of German Thomas Bach as IOC President, I see handball in danger as an Olympic sport,” said the 66-year-old in an interview with the “Sportschau”. Bach successor Kirsty Coventry from Zimbabwe has “probably never seen a handball game”.
The German Handball Association (DHB) announced on Saturday to send Butzeck to the Egyptian incumbent Hassan Moustafa (81) at the election of the highest office in World Handball at the 40th IHF Congress in Cairo (19 to 22 December). For the first time since 2009, there is an opposite candidate.
Worldwide, “there was a lot of potential in handball. We need change,” said Butzeck, which, however, currently has no great opportunities. It is “not to be expected” that he would be chosen.
As the Sportschau reports, Moustafa, among other things, knows the 99 of the 210 IHF member associations from Africa and asia closed to us. “I would be very happy if the Europeans voted for me,” said Butzeck, who has acted as managing director of the Group Club Handball since 2006 and the advocacy representative of the international top clubs: “However, I would also be surprised.”