The German beach handball players belong to the absolute top of the world. At the European Championship in Alanya, the teams want to use the European stage primarily for one thing – advertising for the Olympics.
Otternasen, Sand Devils, Minga Turtles or 12 Monkeys. Never heard? But you should remember. These are the names of German beach handball teams and they send their best players to the European Championship in Turkey in July. While the German men belong to the narrow favorite group, the women in Alanya (8th to July 13th) are also defending champions and the leader of performance.
German women the “non plus ultra”
Even if the name “Golden Girls” has been occupied by the US series of the same name since the nineties, this name could not fit better for the German beach handball players. They have won pretty much everything in the past five years. 2022 and 2024 the World Cup, 2021 and 2023 the European Championship and 2022 also the World Games. Never before had a nation held the EM, World Cup and World Games title. Players and a sport are well known, but very few sports fans in Germany are known.
The young sport has a lot to offer: beach feeling, spectacular tricks and pure action. “Beach handball is extremely attractive and has the potential for more attention. It takes place outdoors and sand, is athletic and fast-and the handball attraction of the summer “Mark Schober, CEO of the German Handball Association, describes the sport. No wonder that well -known faces from the hall handball find the way into the sand.
Many interior between hall and sand
Minister coach Alexander Novakovic recently welcomed Meike Schmelzer (Thuringian HC) and Meret Ossenkopp (Sport-Union Neckarsulm) with experience from the A national team to courses. With over 100 A international matches in the hall, Meike Schmelzer is already a term, just like goalkeeper Katharina Filter. German number 1 in the hall already won all big titles in the sand before she retired in 2024 to concentrate on the Olympic Games in Paris.
Beach handball briefly explained
Play field: 27 x 12 meters tall, with rectangular goal area. The side lines between the goal lines characterize the exchange zone for field players.
Player: Each team consists of a maximum of 10 players, but only 4 (3 field players and a goalkeeper) are also on the field. If the goalkeeper leaves his goal area to act as an attacker, he gets a new function, which is referred to as a specialist.
Rules: Bulk is allowed, but is extremely difficult on sand. Alternatively, the ball (once) can be stored for a maximum of 3 seconds and then resumed. Otherwise the 3-step rule applies.
Points: Each goal counts one point, unless the goalkeeper/specialist scores it or the goal is scored using Kempa or Pirouette (2 points).
Process: two sentences of ten minutes. If a tie, a golden goal decides. Each sentence gives a point. If one team gains a sentence, the winner is determined by the shootout.
So far, this has only been available for the handball players in the hall, the beach variant must initially make do with the World Games. The so-called world games of the non-Olympic sports that are held every four years, but only in the summer variant. The organizer is the World Association International World Games Association (IWGA). In Birmingham/Alabama 2022, the Team D with 24 gold, seven silver and 15 bronze badges won the medal rating clearly ahead of the USA and Ukraine.
DHB President Michelmann appeals to IOC
The beach handball players got one of the 24 gold medals with a narrow 2-0 victory over Norway. Andreas Michelmann, President of the German Handball Association, hoped that the “grandiose performance” of German women would also have (the then) IOC President Thomas Bach, who followed the final live. “If the IOC is serious to further develop the Olympic program with attractive disciplines, it is high time that a great sport like beach handball is finally Olympic”At that time Michelmann confirms the wish of many athletes.
Two years later, five German beach handball players were allowed to sniff the Olympic air in Paris. The world and European champions Isabel Kattner and Lucie-Marie Kretzschmar with national coach Alexander Novakovic as well as Moritz Ebert and Severin Henrich, Vice European Champion and Furnant World Cup with the men, were nominated by the World Association for the IHF Beach Handball Showcase. Only Brazil (7) and Hungary (6) made more people in the demonstration competition.
Beach handball sniffs Olympic air in Paris
24-year-old Lucie-Marie Kretzschmar is one of the faces of the team and since the first title in 2021. In the German team, the daughter of handball icon Stefan Kretzschmar is the defense chief and was appointed to the All-Star team at the 2024 World Cup as the best defender of the tournament. However, the invitation to Paris was not a matter of course for the athlete and the anticipation was accordingly great: “Being able to experience a piece of history with the beach handball is something very special.“
After the successful event in July 2024, the hope of the global beach handball community was great that it would make the sport into the Los Angeles 2028 program. Unfortunately in vain. The new sports will be cricket, baseball/softball, lacrosse, flag football and squash; The beach handball went away empty -handed. A new attempt is to be made for the 2032 games in Brisbane (Australia).
IOC praises beach handball and still remains hesitant
Unfortunately, the prerequisites are “down under” not ideal. As in the United States, beach handball in Australia is also not a hyped sport. When choosing the sports in Los Angeles, it can be seen how important the host country is in the election. All five new disciplines are very popular in North America. Kit McConnell, sports director of the International Olympic Committee, still gives hope: “It is a great sports format, a great discipline. It is easy to organize and enjoys a very strong and growing popularity in the youth. It has a very good future.”
The two German national teams at the European Championship in Turkey will definitely contribute their part to the “very good future” of beach handball. As is well known, spectacular games, high speed and a lot of sand are not the worst advertising. Just think of the scenery of the beach volleyball games under the Eiffel Tower.