45 European players ready for beach handball’s big moment

The showcase sees beach handball presented on the senior Olympic stage for the first time, after being part of the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics. The discipline has also been featured at The World Games — a multi-sport event recognised and supported by the IOC for sports not in the Olympic Games — six times. The hope is that beach handball will become an official sport on the Olympic programme in the future.

“Beach Handball deserves, for many reasons, to be a part of the Olympics. The game is super entertaining, really fast and interesting for people to watch. It’s a game with spectacular saves, blocks from defenders and also goals from spin shots and in-flights that will make people eager to see more,” says co-host of the official EHF podcast, The Spin, Martin Vilstrup Andersen, who is among those selected to take part in the showcase. Vilstrup has a collection of medals won with Denmark, including the Beach Handball EURO title in 2019 and 2021, silver at the 2022 and 2024 Beach Handball World Championships, and bronze at the EURO 2023.

“It’s also a sport that is represented all over the world, and each continent has countries that are super competitive. It’s in many ways a unique sport, and everyone trying the sport will be welcomed with open arms.”

Spaniard Asunción Batista, MVP of the 2022 Beach Handball World Championship where her side won the silver medal, will also take to the sand in Paris.  

“I really hope that this sport becomes Olympic. It is a dynamic and very spectacular sport that is not like any other. We have fair play as our flag — something that is an example for the entire world of how a sport should be cared for and respected,” says Batista, who won the world title in 2016 and has taken three bronze medals at the Beach EURO, in 2023, 2021 and 2017.

The showcase features the France men’s and women’s national teams alongside three All-star Teams in each gender. The All-star Teams are comprised of players of mixed nationality, with a total of 64 from around the world, including 24 female European players and 21 male. The European countries represented are Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal and Spain.

“This is the closest I have ever come to the dream that I have always wanted to fulfil in this sport. Being able to represent my country in Paris means that all the sacrifices and efforts I have made for this sport have been worth it,” says Batista. “I feel it as a recognition of my career and the passion that I have always put into growing and showing the world what beach handball means to me.”

Europeans will also feature on the bench, with the All-star Teams coached by Mladen Paradzik from Croatia, Tamas Neukum from Hungary, Alexander Novakovic from Germany and Maria Karantoni from Greece.

The Beach Handball Showcase is one among a variety of free events taking place around Paris during the Olympics. As such, it is an enormous opportunity for the discipline to gain attention — and all involved are keenly aware of that.

“I expect that all athletes will show what this sport has to offer,” says Vilstrup. “We all know what it gives us, and we want to show everyone else what a beautiful sport it is. So, I expect the games to have a lot of quality, and that everyone coming to the courts will be entertained — it’s a guarantee!”

Schedule

Each day of the Beach Handball Showcase will see eight games played, with the teams facing each other twice. The All-star Teams have been named Vela, Hydra, Lyra (women’s), Aquila, Pegasus, and Draco (men’s).

More information on the teams and schedule can be found on the IHF website. 

Photos: © kolektiff images