The U.S. men’s handball team withdrew on the eve of the world championship tournament due to a coronavirus outbreak within the team.
“Two recent PCR tests indicated that a majority of our players and staff members tested positive for the virus,” according to USA Team Handball. “Everyone seems to be in good spirits and health, with little to no symptoms currently. However, the virus had rendered us unable to field a competitive team before our first match in two days.”
The U.S. federation and the International Handball Federation decided that the U.S. would withdraw after “in-depth discussions” before its first schedule game in Egypt against Austria on Thursday.