Female Handball Players Late Due to Train Incident
A girls' handball team from Chelyabinsk was forced to forfeit its opening match at a national competition in Yaroslavl after their train was delayed by a freight train derailment.
Apr 28, 2026 0
These images of the derailed train were published by investigators.
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Female athletes from Chelyabinsk were late to the all-Russian handball competition in Yaroslavl due to a train incident. They were given a technical loss.
Parents received messages like these about the train delay.
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Handball is a team sport in which players pass a ball with their hands and try to throw it into the opponent«s goal.
The Chelyabinsk team was given a technical loss.
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As the mother of one of the athletes told our colleagues at 74.RU, the train the girls were supposed to take to the capital of the Golden Ring (Yaroslavl) was delayed because on 1 February in Kirov Region a freight car derailed. This forced passenger trains to take a detour, increasing travel time by almost a day.
«The team was on train No. 1 Vladivostok–Moscow,» one of the mothers told 74.RU. «This train was turned around en route and sent on a detour around the accident. As a result, travel time increased by 21 hours. Our opponent that day was supposed to be Rostov. They refused to take the accident into account and requested a technical loss. Unsportsmanlike behavior, even in youth sports.»
The rail accident occurred on the afternoon of 1 February 2026. On the Oriche–Shalegovo stretch of the Gorky Railway, more than 20 freight cars derailed. There were no casualties, but about 900 meters of track needed to be restored. Some 300 people, two recovery trains, and specialized equipment were deployed in the cleanup. It was reported that 20 passenger trains were delayed, including the Vladivostok–Moscow train.
The Chelyabinsk team was given a loss with a score of 0–10. Although the competition in Yaroslavl is still ongoing, parents worry that the children now have no chance of good results.
The competition runs from 1 to 7 February.
«The championship continues, but with a technical loss in the first game, the girls have an unequal chance — in fact, no chance. Since it counts as a pure loss,» explained one mother. «We made a request, asking for the game to be rescheduled to any other time, but we were refused.»
The Chelyabinsk city administration said they were involved in the issue.
«Of course, the city is aware. The Department of Physical Culture and Sports and the school administration tried to resolve the situation through the Russian Handball Federation,» the mayor«s office commented. «However, the regulations of the Russian championship stipulate that if a team does not take the field for a game, regardless of the reasons, a technical loss may be assessed at the opponents» request. That is exactly what happened, unfortunately, with our athletes. The team has a technical loss, and it is impossible to appeal this decision.»
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