An anonymous phone call announcing an imminent bomb explosion in the Centro de Entrenamiento Olimpico in Santiago de Chile forced the officials to stop the semifinal match of the Pan American Tournament, Argentina - Cuba! In that moment, Argentina was leading Cuba 17-8.
After almost a day of intense meetings and negotiations, the Pan American Handball Federation decided that the match will not be resumed and the final result will be the one on the scoreboard in the moment of interruption.
This way, Argentina becomes the first team in the world to win a handball match after just 29 minutes and 38 seconds played! Argentina won the tickets to Sweden 2011 and will play today the final of the Pan American Tournament against Brasil (also qualified for the World Championship as finalists of the tournament).
Cuba and Chile will meet in what seems to be a very intense clash for the last available place in Sweden 2011 (placement match 3/4).
Semifinals Pan American Tournament: Brasil - Chile 33-21 (15-5), Argentina - Cuba 17-8 (interrupted) Placement matches: Dominican Republic - Uruguay 24-28 (12-14), Greenland - Canada 38-36 (after 2nd extra-time) Todays matches: 7/8 Final: Dominican Republic - Canada 5/6 Final: Uruguay - Greenland 3/4 Final: Chile - Cuba 1/2Final: Brasil - Argentina The 2011 World Handball Championship is to be hold by Sweden, 13-30 January 2011.
The matches will be played in Malmo, Lund, Kristianstad, Goteborg, Skovde, Jonkoping, Linkoping and Norrkoping.
The Championship begins with preliminary round - four groups of six teams each.
Sweden will play their five first matches in Gothenburg.
Continuing are two main round groups.
Finals, and one of two semi-finals, are going to be hosted in Malmö Arena in the southernmost of Sweden.
The other semi-final is to be played in Kristianstad.