MOSCOW, December 20. /TASS/. The Congress of the International Handball Federation will be held in Cairo on Saturday with expected discussions on the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions.

The Congress will take place on December 2022. Its agenda includes the election of the federation’s top management, including the president. The post has been held by Hassan Moustafa since 2000.

It was Moustafa who recently announced the possibility of allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete internationally in 2026.

Commenting on the issue to TASS, Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Handball Federation of Russia Sergey Shishkarev said: "The matter can be resolved in principle during the Congress of the International Handball Federation."

"I personally talked to the international federation’s President Hassan Moustafa, and he also confirmed to my [Belarusian] colleague Vladimir Konoplev that Russia will return to international competitions from July next year," he added. "So far, this is noting but a preview, and I’m not ready to confirm this information until I see a document, a real decision. But I hope that the decision will be made in late December."

A delegation of the Federation of Russia will participate in the Congress, whose decisions will have far-reaching consequences for the sport’s future.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has maintained its recommendation not to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in team sports. However, on November 4, the world’s governing body of swimming sports, World Aquatics, has permitted Russian and Belarusian water polo players to compete at international tournaments from January 1, 2026 as neutral athletes.