The IHF Men’s Youth World Championship in Russia is not only an opportunity for young players to gain experience at an international tournament but also for referees too.

As part of our ‘4-4-4’ series, IHF.info asks four referee couples from four continents four questions.

Jonas Laitinen and Miro Korja are the only IHF referee couple in Finland, northern Europe. Jonas, who has just qualified as a First Officer for the airline Ryanair and Miro, who is an IT Consultant tell us about their handball journey.

IHF.info: When did you first meet and can you remember your first game together?

Jonas Laitinen (JL): It was about 13 years ago at a European tournament in Helsinki and we were doing statistics and scouting on the table together, I was about 14/15 years old and Miro was about 17.

Miro Korja (MK): The handball scene in Finland is small, so everyone knows everybody - we already knew each others’ face and name.

Jonas actually started whistling with another partner as part of the EHF Young Referees Project and whistled at the European Open, but another referee who lost his partner needed a new one and took Jonas’ partner and that’s how we came together and we first whistled together in 2009.

Our first game was in the adult’s national league and featured HIFK Helsinki. I was really nervous as it was my first adult game and in the years before I had played against the same players in the league; they were like, ‘what the hell? You were a player and now a ref!'

JL: I had refereed in the national league with my previous partner so I was OK, but as a new couple you have to show everybody you are not nervous.

MK: The first game we didn’t know each other too well and the relationship took some time, like any relationship; how divided all the refereeing tasks - it wasn’t love at first sight!

IHF.info: Can you remember when you got your IHF refereeing badge and can you remember your first IHF nomination?

MK: We got the badge last December in St Gallen, Switzerland.  We were nervous before they started giving them out.

It was a big relief as it was something we had been aiming for, for the past six years. It’s a dream come true but now the real work starts so we can get the big games; to get the adult World Championships and Russia is a good step for this.

JL: I didn’t think we were going to get the badge as they were reading the name alphabetically; but had already said Russia and Sweden, but then they said Finland so I was happy.

Gradually I slowly started realising what we had achieved, everybody’s congratulating you, it felt nice and then you think to yourself; ‘it’s true’.

MK: On the evening we celebrated with the guys who got the badge at the same time and it slowly started to be real.

When we got back home I realised ‘I am an IHF referee, that’s cool’, it was slow and steady, of course.

You get the physical badges, a diploma and an IHF pin badge with a whistle on it. I have the diploma and badge on a shelf next to my TV at home.

JL: I have mine on a shelf too, next to a placard from the Finnish Handball Assocation which you get when you whistle your 100 league games.

MK: Our first nomination was for Russia 2015 and it came by email through our federation. Firstly, you have to confirm you are available. I saw it first as I am always at computer due to work so I sent Jonas a text saying you have to read your email right now because as he is flying somewhere he cannot answer the phone.

It was a proud moment to get invited to a World Championship; the main reason for me to referee is to meet new people and see these fantastic venues; I really like refereeing abroad.

JL: In Finland we don’t have that many referees; we are the only IHF referees there right now so to get a call to a World Championship is awesome.

MK: Our first game, when we had the IHF kit on that’s, for sure, a special thing - the feeling you get during the player presentation is something money cannot buy.

IHF.info: Tell us about handball and refereeing in Finland.

MK: I am involved with the board of referees in Finland and through that I work with the young referees. We are working hard now with young referees but we need referees - at the highest level we have 15 couples, that is not a lot and we definitely need a lot more.

I stay after my games and help with the younger ones so they can develop.

JL: When I get the time I help as I have quite a busy job, but after the games we give pointers, we are a very small group.

MK: Handball in Finland is mainly along the southern points of Finland, along the coastline; Hanko to the west to Porvoo in the east and then 80km up north to Riihimäki, where the Riihimäki Cocks play in the EHF Cup.

We have nine teams in the men’s league and eight teams in the women’s league and altogether about 4,000 registered players for the whole of Finland.

Now the national men’s team did really well for the EHF European Championship 2016 qualification match against Spain (27:34) and put them under pressure there has been a bit more growth, I see it as a positive flow at the moment, we are going in the right direction.

IHF.info: What are your views on the rule experiments at Russia 2015?

JL: For example, the blue card is good for viewers that don’t know handball; if they see a red card and then a blue card they must think that something serious has happened and then commentators will tell them there is a serious fault.

It is really nice to be part of a tournament where they are testing the rules.