Ingo Meckes smiled, the sports director of the German Handball Federation (DHB) actually always does that. Even the 27:34 defeat against the new European champions Denmark didn’t faze Meckes one bit. “What has happened here in the last two weeks has been wonderful,” he said. Of course the players are frustrated by the new defeat against the Danes, but he “assumes that the pride will come tomorrow. I don’t think the boys have fully understood what they have achieved yet.”
Aiko Tanaka
Aiko Tanaka is a combat sports journalist and general sports reporter at Archysport. A former competitive judoka who represented Japan at the Asian Games, Aiko brings firsthand athletic experience to her coverage of judo, martial arts, and Olympic sports. Beyond combat sports, Aiko covers breaking sports news, major international events, and the stories that cut across disciplines — from doping scandals to governance issues to the business side of global sport. She is passionate about elevating the profile of underrepresented sports and athletes.
