An important change in terms of handball at the Youth Olympic Games will take place, starting from the 2018 edition of this event organized by the International Olympic Committee. Namely, indoor handball will step down, and give its place to beach handball. The Council of the International Handball Federation has made this decision at its meeting which took place in Doha on 26 January 2015.
Prior to this decision, handball was the last sport at the Youth Olympic Games that was represented with its traditional “Olympic” discipline. As of Buenos Aires, the athletes will step out on sand instead of on the court in order to achieve Olympic glory.
The next task of the International Handball Federation and its Beach Handball Working Group is to define the competition system of the event as well as to determine the qualification system, according to which the national teams from five continents will search for their place in Buenos Aires.
This is the first step in the long journey of introducing beach handball in the Summer Olympic Games.
- This press release was republished with permission from the International Handball Association.