By Hend GadAllah

Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister, Dr. Ashraf Sobhy, Minister of Youth and Sports, and 17 ministers, members of the Supreme Committee of the World Hand Championship in Egypt 2021, witnessed Saturday evening, September 5, 2020, the draw ceremony for the 27th version of the tournament, at the foot of the pyramids, hosted by Egypt from 13 - Next January 31, 2020. Dr. Hassan Mustafa, President of the International Handball Federation, several governors and ambassadors, representatives of countries, as well as officials of the International and Egyptian Federation and the participating teams, and a group of Egyptian national handball team players attended the ceremony.

This is the first version in history that includes 32 teams instead of 24, and its competitions are held on 4 halls: the major hall in Cairo Stadium and capacity for 22 thousand spectators, the new capital hall can accommodate 5500 spectators, the Borg Al Arab with a capacity of three thousand spectators and finally the new hall in 6 October which accommodates 4,500 spectators.

The draw ceremony started with the concert of musician Amr Khairat with a group of musical symphonies and songs that always impressed the attendees. It was followed by a group of pharaonic shows that express the Egyptian history. Finally, they selected one of the guests to draw the tournament lot. The concert was presented by the artists Khaled Al Nabawy, Engy Al-Muqaddam, and the media Jasmine Taha.

In the beginning, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly conveyed the greetings of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and his Excellency's success wishes for this important sporting event. He wished our distinguished guests a pleasant stay in their country, Egypt.

The Prime Minister emphasized that sport remains one of the most important mechanisms and soft powers capable of spreading peace and love among peoples. He also said that the importance of the current version in several aspects is the first time in the tournament history in which 32 teams from different countries of the world participate in its competitions. As well as Egypt faced circumstances of hosting it in light of the challenges and international efforts to confront the spread of the Corona pandemic which represents an additional challenge to the Egyptian and international sports system.

Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister, indicated that today is a natural extension of what the modern Egyptian state has come to under the wise, conscious and enlightened leadership of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt. This boom and the efforts made by the Egyptian state on all external and internal levels become clear. The Egyptian political leadership is keen to spread and plant its roots among the peoples of the world. The message says that social peace, civilized communication and human integration are the only way for all peoples to live in peace and prosperity. It is the hope for our children and youth to achieve their dreams and aspirations, and it is the legacy that we must leave for the current generation and the generations that follow.

In his speech, Dr. Ashraf Sobhy welcomed the attendees, and the artist Khaled Al-Nabawi was warmly greeted by the minister. Sobhy stated that today we are meeting together in the pyramids area, which is one of the most important monuments in human history, to witness the ceremony of the men's handball World Cup in its version No. 27 with the participation of 32 teams for the first time in the tournament history.

Sobhy said: "President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi directed to take all measures and provide full support and the requirements to achieve success for the largest handball tournament at regulatory, administrative, and logistical levels Since Egypt won the honor to host and organize the World Handball Championship while benefiting from the capabilities Egypt has in terms of infrastructure, sports, hotel and tourism facilities, and international airports."

The Minister of Youth and Sports added that Egypt's hosting of the tournament received direct attention and follow-up from Dr. Mustafa Madbouly, the Egyptian Prime Minister, starting from his assumption of the supreme committee for the championship with a high-level membership of the ministers, which manifested itself quickly in all steps and requirements of organizing The tournament. The work, thanks to the direct follow-up from the Egyptian government, was in full swing to reach the highest rates of achievement in the various fields of the tournament's organizational process. The concern was always to cooperate and follow up daily with the organizing committee in coordination and in line with the efforts of the International Handball Federation starting with the draw ceremony and extending all the next steps related to the events and competitions of the tournament.

Sobhy Said: “We promise you that you are on the cusp of one of the unique sporting events, not only in the circumstances of its hosting and competitions, but also in all aspects of organizing, hosting, and good residence in Egypt. This version will be a shining sign to be added to the honorable and rich record of the tournament history and the global handball family, wishing success to you and all the participants and followers from all over the world.

Dr. Hassan Mustafa, President of the International Hand Federation, affirmed his thanks and gratitude for the efforts made to release the draw and championship ceremonies in a manner that fits Egypt’s international position amid the challenges of the Coronavirus. He spoke about the achievements of the Egyptian teams in various categories in the various tournaments, the latest one was the World Cup for Juniors.

The draw system is based on dividing the 32 teams into 8 groups. Each of them includes 4 teams to qualify for the first three to the main round, which includes 24 teams. The 24 teams are divided into 4 groups. Each group consists of 6 teams to qualify for the first and second to the quarter-finals whose matches are held by knockout a team, then the semifinals and the final.

It is noteworthy that the international federation decided to assign the men’s World championships to two or three countries, such as last year's version, which was held in Germany and Denmark. Egypt ranked the eighth among the best teams in the world, but this version is organized by Egypt alone. It is a great responsibility for Egyptian sports because of its honor and it will not be obtained by any other country in the world in the coming versions.

Egypt was among the 7 countries that expressed their desire to organize the World Handball Championship for men in 2021, namely France, Hungary, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia and Poland. Egypt was selected in November of the same year during the International Federation’s meeting in the Russian city of Sochi, after a strong competition with Hungary’s file. This is the second time that Egypt organizes this Championship after the 16th version, which was held in 1999 with the participation of 24 teams.