South American power games are threatening the future of international handball in Greenland. Earlier this year, the Panamerican Team Handball Federation (PATHF) suddenly downgraded Greenland from full to associate membership. The International Handball Federation (IHF) says PATHF is wrong but has done little to solve the problem, and without access to international tournaments, Greenland is rapidly loosing sponsor support and fears development may be set back by 15 years.

The Panamerican Team Handball Federation (PATHF) is not likely to win prizes this year for fair play and transparent decision-making. In contravention of the rules of the International Handball Federation (IHF), PATHF has downgraded Greenland from full to associate membership without any warning - and now teams from Greenland can no longer qualify for participation in World Championships.