India performed Pakistan within the tenth Asian Seashore Handball Championships in Oman’s Muscat on Friday amid a widening battle between the 2 nations.The Indians wore black armbands in the course of the league fixture, however have been advised by the organisers and Asian Handball Federation (AHF) to take away them, sources advised TOI. The organisers advised the Indian teaching employees that such a gesture would result in the elimination of the staff from the event.The Indian contingent had at first thought of boycotting the fixture as a consequence of fears of public backlash at house, however determined to go forward after AHF warned it of a ban and a major advantageous.“As per the Worldwide Handball Federation’s (IHF) constitution, we must pay a advantageous of $10,000 if we boycotted the match. We additionally confronted the prospect of a two-year ban from worldwide competitions. The AHF advised us categorically that if the Indian staff didn’t flip up for the match, it could be counted in opposition to the spirit of Olympic constitution. We have been left with no different choice,” Anandeshwar Pandey, Govt Director of the Handball Federation of India (HFI), advised TOI.India misplaced the pool match 0-2 on the Sultan Qaboos Sports activities Advanced.“Earlier than the beginning of the match, the HFI had written separate letters to the sports activities ministry and Indian Olympic Affiliation (IOA), searching for their steering whether or not we should always play Pakistan or not. They didn’t instantly reply to our mail and the match was upon us. There’s no clear advisory from the govt. which stops the Indian groups from enjoying Pakistan. Had there been one, we’d have pulled the staff out of the competitors.“The entries for the occasion have been despatched months prematurely and the Indian males’s and ladies’s groups had landed in Muscat for the event on Might 5. We didn’t know that the scenario between the 2 nations would flip hostile. There’s a chance that the 2 groups would possibly meet one another once more in the identical occasion, on the semifinal or remaining stage. We’re awaiting the ministry and IOA’s advisory on this. If it doesn’t come within the coming days, we’ll inform our staff to forfeit the subsequent match in opposition to Pakistan, if it occurs in any respect,” added Pandey.The ultimate of the event can be performed on Might 15. The competitors will function a qualification event for the Seashore Handball World Championship in 2026.
