The Malta Handball Association insisted Wednesday that a wheelchair-bound teenager has been barred from playing for a local team because participation in such a full contact sport would put him in clear danger.
The Association was replying to a judicial letter where the parents of 16-year old Thomas Mifsud last week claimed discrimination.
Mifsud, an athlete with spina bifida, had started training at a handball club alongside his friends and sought a spot as reserve goalkeeper on the team. But he was subsequently informed that he could not be registered as a player in the league since he used a wheelchair.
After bringing the matter to public attention, Thomas’s parents filed a judicial protest against the MHA and its committee members arguing that their son was being discriminated against and that his wheelchair did not pose any health or safety risks.
His condition was well-accepted by his teammates, they said.
The MHA rebutted the claims by the teen’s parents and insisted that handball was a “full contact sport” which exposed players to risk of injury.
The rules of the game precluded and prohibited the use of any “hard objects,” during play precisely to reduce such risk of grievous injuries.
Wheelchair use could trigger serious injuries not only for the wheelchair user but also for fellow players.
The International Handball Federation, which laid down the rules of the sport on a global level, shared the same view, argued the MHA.
A wheelchair was considered to be “a dangerous object” by the international regulatory body which had in fact observed that “using a wheelchair in indoor handball violates the IHF Regulations on Protective Equipment and Accessories and by association the IHF rules for indoor handball.”
That meant that the parents’ claim that wheelchair use was permissible during the competitive sport was “totally incorrect,” said the MHA.
Also contrary to what Mifsud’s parents claimed, there was close contact between outfield players and the goalkeeper during a match. That meant that a wheelchair-bound goalkeeper placed all other players at risk of injury.
The association also noted that it recently got to know through media reports that the teen also had a medical condition known as “brittle bone disease.”
Players with such a condition would be putting themselves in 'clear and manifest danger' were they to engage in full contact sport as they could be easily injured through a fall, contact with another player or even if hit by a ball.
The association said such personal danger was “not acceptable” to it since it was responsible for athletes’ safety.
The fact that this health issue had not been disclosed to the association further aggravated the problem, said the MHA.
The association called upon the parents to desist from any further frivolous action, warning that they would be held responsible for damages if they persisted.
Lawyers Stefano Filletti and Maurice Meli signed the judicial letter.