Official Regulations

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

All clubs that are members of a national association recognized by the IHF are eligible to participate in the Bordeaux Ocean Cup.
In countries where handball is practiced within school institutions, teams affiliated with their national school sports federation are also allowed to take part.

All players must be insured for handball activity, and all members of the delegation (players and staff) must have liability insurance coverage.

TOURNAMENT REGULATIONS

The tournament is played according to IHF and French Handball Federation (FFHB) regulations.
All matches are officiated by certified French referees.

CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION

To meet participation requirements, each player must present a valid license for the current season.
If no license can be presented, the player must provide:

A valid medical certificate authorizing handball practice (issued within the last 18 months),
An official ID,
And for minors, parental authorization (or a visa for non-EU countries).

A player may only represent one team during a single edition of the Bordeaux Ocean Cup (unless an exceptional written authorization is granted by the organization).

Players currently serving a suspension of six games or more from their federation are not allowed to participate.

PLAYER CHECK AND EXCEPTIONS

Before the first match, the organizer will conduct a visual age check and issue a colored wristband corresponding to the player’s category.
Before each game, the main referee will verify that all players are wearing the correct wristband color.

Teams must fill out and sign the match sheet before and after each match.
A “protest” section will be available at the scorer’s table for any complaint made before, during, or after the game.

No age exemptions are allowed except by extraordinary decision of the organizing committee.
Any player without a wristband or refusing identity/equipment checks will not be permitted to enter the court.

EQUIPMENT

Teams must play wearing their official club colors as listed on the official website.
Players must wear identical uniforms: shirts, shorts, and socks.
The numbers must match those listed on the match sheet.

Goalkeepers must wear distinctive colors different from their teammates, opponents, and referees.

If a player does not match their team’s uniform, they will not be allowed to play.
If both teams wear similar colors, the first-named team on the schedule must change jerseys.

Substitutes must be identifiable by wearing bibs of a different color from the field players’ shirts.

TIEBREAKERS IN GROUP STAGES

If two or more teams finish with the same number of points, the following criteria apply (in order):

Highest number of points, then goals, in the direct match between the tied teams.
Best goal difference across all group matches.
Highest total number of goals scored in the group.
Fewest 2-minute suspensions received across group matches.
Winner of a three-shot penalty shootout.

TIE AT THE END OF REGULAR TIME – KNOCKOUT PHASE

During the Final Phase, matches are played as single elimination.
If the score is tied at the end of regular time:

A 5-minute overtime will be played.
If still tied, a penalty shootout will take place.

Each team designates five shooters.
The team scoring the most goals after these attempts advances to the next round.
If the tie persists, a sudden-death format applies until a winner is determined.

GAME TIME

2 x 20 minutes

PLAYING SURFACE

All matches are played indoors on wooden handball courts.

ABSENCE OF A TEAM AT KICK-OFF

If one team fails to appear at the scheduled kick-off, the present team wins by forfeit (10–0).
If both teams are absent, both lose the match (0–10).

Any team wishing to appeal may contact the tournament’s regulatory committee at
📧 commission@parisworldgames.com

NUMBER OF PLAYERS PER TEAM

There is no limit on the number of players registered per team.
However, only 7 substitutes may participate in a match.
Each player must be able to prove their age and identity.
It is recommended that players keep the same jersey number for all matches.

NUMBER OF MATCHES AND DATES

Each team will play a minimum of 4 matches between Tuesday and Friday.

Win = 2 points
Draw = 1 point
Loss = 0 point
Penalty = 0 point

The top 2 teams in each group qualify for Tournament A.
Teams ranked below second place play in Tournament B.

Knockout matches are single elimination.

NUMBER OF TEAMS IN THE TOURNAMENT

The Bordeaux Ocean Cup cannot accept all registration requests.
The organization therefore reserves the right to refuse certain teams.
Priority is given to teams who complete payment first.

A club may register up to 2 teams per category, unless exceptionally authorized by the organizing committee.

EXEMPTIONS

No age exemptions are allowed, except by extraordinary decision of the organizing committee.

PROTESTS

All protests must be submitted in writing.
Objections regarding player eligibility must be filed before kick-off or before the player in question enters the court.
Technical protests must be submitted in writing at the next stoppage of play following the disputed incident and before play resumes.

A disciplinary committee will review submitted cases.
A rules and regulations committee will handle formal appeals and is the only body authorized to decide on match postponements.

SANCTIONS

The disciplinary committee may impose sanctions based on reports from referees or clubs.
It is automatically convened following referee reports and may also be contacted by clubs at:
📧 commission@parisworldgames.com

Yellow cards are cleared after each match.
For red cards, the disciplinary committee will decide on any suspension for subsequent matches.

DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE

The disciplinary committee is composed of representatives from the players, referees, volunteers, coaches, and one member of the organization.
It rules in first and final instance, except in cases of tournament exclusion (or suspensions longer than two matches).
In exclusion cases, an appeal may be made to the tournament’s executive committee at:
📧 info@parisworldgames.com

REWARDS

Each player receives a souvenir reward.
Winning teams receive the Bordeaux Ocean Cup Trophy (Gold Medal).
Finalists and semi-finalists receive Silver and Bronze trophies respectively.