Sports fans all over Europe are looking forward to the European Handball Championships in Germany. A total of 24 teams will play for the title of European champions from January 10th to 28th. The tournament will be held in six cities in Germany – in addition to Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Cologne, Mannheim and Munich. The final round will take place in Cologne.
The fact that the sport is becoming increasingly popular in Germany is shown, among other things, by a series of portraits on ARD that introduce the coach Alfred Gislason and two of the most famous German handball players, goalkeeper Andreas Wolff and backcourt player Juri Knorr. The popularity of the actors is reflected in detailed background pieces on public television.
A few days before the start of the tournament, former handball world champion Dominik Klein was asked by the German Press Agency (dpa) for his opinion about the local squad. Klein won the World Cup with his team in 2007. He likes the mix of young guns and seasoned veterans, said Klein.
Promising mix in the DHB selection for the European Handball Championship
“The distribution of roles is clear. On the one hand, the core of experienced players who have to radiate the necessary calm and confidence. On the other hand, the national coach has euphoric, carefree U21 world champions in his back pocket,” said Klein, who is now a TV expert in the use is.
National coach Alfred Gislason is preparing for the European Championships with 18 players; the second course began on New Year’s Day. The start for the DHB team is the first day of the tournament: Kick-off against Switzerland is on January 10th at 8:45 p.m., ZDF will broadcast the game (here you can read when the other games will take place and where you can watch them live.)
In the photo series we introduce coach Gislason and some of the players.
Sources: THW Kiel, DHB.de, “Kicker.de”, “HNA.de”, ARD media library / with material from dpa
Read at stern+: A German academy is shaking up Colombian football. It turns young people from poor and remote places into professionals. For the boys it’s about much more than just sport.
