Statement Regarding 2026 IHF Wheelchair World Championships

USA Team Handball is aware of inaccurate information circulating regarding the U.S. Wheelchair National Team and preparations for the 2026 IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championships in Spain.

Because these matters have involved ongoing investigation and legal review, athletes, former staff, and personnel issues, USA Team Handball has refrained from discussing details publicly. However, recent claims that USATH simply cancelled the team or abandoned its athletes require clarification. USATH has remained committed throughout this process to sending our best possible team to the World Championships.

Earlier this summer, serious concerns arose regarding the administration of the wheelchair program, including, but not limited to, financial and governance violations and missed competition requirements. USA Team Handball investigated those concerns and, following that investigation and repeated efforts to address the underlying issues with staff, made a coaching change effective August 3. 

USA Team Handball leadership met directly with athletes, adopted staffing recommendations consistent with their requests, and repeatedly offered opportunities for further discussion and questions. Despite those efforts, USATH was later informed that these athletes would not participate without reinstatement of former staff. Repeated subsequent follow-ups of USATH leadership to athletes went unanswered. USATH has consistently made clear that reinstatement would neither be responsible nor consistent with its obligations to the program and its athletes. 

USA Team Handball’s knowledge of meetings, communications, and coordination involving former staff and athletes, including efforts directed at disrupting participation and influencing necessary governance decisions, has not dissuaded the Federation from continuing to work on behalf of the very athletes and programs it exists to serve.  

Even after the withdrawals, USA Team Handball continued seeking ways to engage athletes and field the most competitive U.S. team possible at the World Championships. Athletes are, of course, free to decide whether they wish to compete, but USATH cannot make the administration of a U.S. National Team dependent upon the continued involvement of any particular coach or staff member.

Claims that USA Team Handball simply cancelled the team, refused to support its athletes, or made no effort to preserve participation are inaccurate.

We are saddened that trust placed in former staff members would motivate any athlete’s choice to forego a World Championship selection opportunity. USA Team Handball remains extraordinarily proud of the accomplishments of American wheelchair handball athletes to date, and committed to the future of wheelchair handball in the United States.

USA Team Handball’s responsibility extends beyond the athletes who have previously represented, or currently represent, the program. USATH also has an obligation to preserve and expand opportunities for adaptive athletes across the United States by supporting the continued growth and long-term viability of wheelchair handball, both domestically and internationally. In recognition of this duty, USATH has pursued every reasonable avenue to preserve U.S. participation in the 2026 World Championships, and to protect the future opportunities that participation can help create for adaptive athletes nationwide. 

That future requires a program that is athlete-centered, responsibly administered, financially accountable, and compliant with USA Team Handball and international competition requirements. USA Team Handball will continue working toward that goal. 

USA Team Handball has selected a team with great promise; a group that is ready and capable to represent the United States at the highest level of competition. That team deserves the full support of the U.S. handball community, free from judgment based on any preceding disputes, decisions, or circumstances.