“The lion is not just on our coat of arms but in our hearts”

Head coach Pavel Farár is “definitely excited” about Czechia’s first steps on the even bigger stage. “We are full of anticipation to see how we will perform in such a strong competition,” he says.

This summer's appearance on the Turkish coast will be the team's second international tournament, following EHF Beach Handball Championship 2024, where they finished eighth out of 10 teams, despite winning four games. They narrowly missed out on the main round, being level on points with Norway and Bulgaria in the first stage, due to being on the unfavourable end of a three-team tie.

First steps with ambitious goals

Czechia want to be competitive in their debut major tournament. Drawn into group B with powerhouses Germany and Portugal, as well as hosts Türkiye, Farár knows that “nothing about this group will be easy.” However, the tough opponents do not mean lower targets for his team. 

“Beach handball can bring more surprises than indoor. The first step is to advance from the group stage, which will be extremely tough given the level of our opponents,” says Farár.  

Past positive experience against Türkiye serves as one beacon of hope for Farár’s side. In last year’s EHF Beach Handball Championship, Czechia beat their group opponents and the EURO hosts 2:0 in the consolation round. 

Czechia can also hope for a successful tournament due to the familiarity between the players.

“Czechia is a small country, so many of the guys have known each other since youth indoor competitions. I think the atmosphere is great, and considering the conditions, I have to say the players are making significant personal sacrifices,” says Farár.

The core of the national team has been taking part in European Beach Tour tournaments — most recently as the Czech Lions at the ebt Finals 2025 in Trapani, Italy.

“Team unity is key, especially when things aren’t going well. The Czech Lions and the men’s national team are one big group of passionate young men. I dare say they will have each other’s backs, and I hope that’s how it will be in Türkiye, too.“

Playing on the ebt tour was not only “a valuable opportunity for competition” for Farár’s players, but also “a great experience for me as a coach.”

Developing beach handball

“We are still in a learning phase,” Farár admits. The Czech federation made their first steps in developing beach handball in 2017. The country’s first youth tournament participation followed, in the men’s competition at the YAC17 EHF Beach Handball EURO 2021. 

Currently, four age categories are competing in national team competitions. In addition to the men’s and women’s national teams, the U17 girls and boys have also been gaining experience through attendance at European championships. However, Farár highlights funding as the biggest challenge. 

Sporting-wise, the team lacks experience. Nevertheless, the staff are doing everything in their power to prepare their squad as best as possible, through a number of training camps along with the participation in competitions like the ebt. 

While acknowledging his team’s inexperience at the top level, Farár wants to make sure that the set targets can be reached with a healthy mix of pressure and excitement. 

“Unfortunately, we haven’t had many opportunities for international matchups yet, so this tournament comes with pressure. We will see how far we have come since last year.”

Internationally experienced coach

It helps that head coach Farár has gained a lot of experience in international competitions, coaching women’s indoor side Banik Most in the EHF European League in previous years. Even though he describes his transition from indoor to the sand as smooth, there is a certain difference in coaching the two variations.

“At the core, it’s similar — you expect players to execute tactical and technical skills. But beach handball is definitely more focused on offensive play,” says the 55-year-old.

The expectation for his team is to take pride in playing for their nation. “I always tell my players to perform in a way that we can be proud of — with no regrets. I hope we can live up to that. The lion is not just on our coat of arms but in our hearts. We will fight,” says Farár.

“We respect our opponents, but we are not afraid. We want people to remember us as a friendly, fair-play team with a fighting spirit. We love beach handball and want to be part of its global family,” concludes Farár.  

“Any result better than last year’s qualification would be a reward for all the work we have put into developing this young sport in our country.“

Photos © MSV Photographers (main); kolektiff, Czech Beach Handball, Joe Pappalardo