As time is ticking and the first throw-off of the I IHF Women's Intercontinental Challenge Trophy is approaching, the city of Almaty is fully prepared to welcome the best teams from all continents participating in this competition to this inaugural event.

Today, 1 November, the Kazakhstan Handball Federation organized a press conference, during which representatives from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports as well as from the office of the Mayor of Almaty answered the questions of the media and presented the forthcoming event to the national press.

The brand-new Baluan Sholak Sports Palace will host the tournament and besides the host and organizing nation Kazakhstan, the teams of Congo, Cuba and Finland will participate in the Intercontinental Phase. The first matches of the tournament start on 3 November with host Kazakhstan welcoming the team from Cuba, while later on in the evening, the European representative Finland will face the African winner of Congo.

The pinnacle of the competition will be the final match taking place on 6 November 2011, in which the best two teams of the preliminary round will meet.