The ‘2026 Cook Islands Beach Games’ took place last month in the Oceania nation with men’s and women’s beach handball competitions part of the week-long festival of sandy sports which also included beach netball, air badminton and beach volleyball.

Organised by the Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee (CISNOC), the Games ran from January 12 to 17, with beach handball taking place over two days (14 to 15 January) on the Nikao Beach Courts.

Five men’s and five women’s teams competed in mixed weather conditions, with the final day taking place in heavy rain after hot weather on the opening days.

After 20 games, the men’s and women’s national teams took the honours, both sides claiming top spots in the competition, which is part of the continued growth of the sport, and handball in general, in the nation, working in partnership with both the Oceania Continent Handball Federation (OCHF) and IHF. .

The finals were played under the floodlights with the women’s national team defeating Brew Crew in the final and the exact same result in the women’s final.

“It went really well and better than what we anticipated,” said Cook Islands Handball Federation President Makiroa Mitchell-John to local media, cookislandsnews.com, after the prize-giving ceremony.

 

“By enabling conditions and working with our National Olympic Committee, it brought togetherness and spirituality the ‘Kuki Airani’ (Cook Islands Māori transliteration for the ‘Cook Islands’) way. It was evident that our senior national teams set a very good standard which brought out competitiveness as well as good sportsmanship amongst the various athletes who participated.

“When you promote a beach handball competition that’s at Cook Islands level, that’s national level, so we take it a bit seriously because it’s about our developments here in the Cook Islands,” she added.

“We have to make sure we’re actually on the ground developing. We’re not over here sitting around. Our support from International Handball Federation; how you see us move, how you see us go (places) is because of our developments on the ground – we’re so lucky to have their input.”

The Games also helped the Cook Islands players prepare for upcoming events both on the sand and indoor, including the IHF Trophy, Oceania Beach Handball Championship and possible Youth Olympic Games.

For all four sports at the Beach Games, which started back in 2020, teams and athletes predominantly came from the main island, Rarotonga, with the 2026 edition more condensed than in previous years, featuring four sports instead of seven taking place over a week rather than two weeks as has been in previous years.

 

Future plans include rescheduling dates, expanding categories and sports, increasing participation and upgrading venues.

“Future editions may include Youth and Masters Categories, and additional sporting codes – particularly those featured in our Mini Games,” said CISNOC Secretary General Geoffrey Halston to local media.

“We are also exploring ways to freshen up the event atmosphere by attracting a broader audience and enhancing the social and festival vibe, while still maintaining strong competitive standards. We will also assess the potential benefits of hosting the Beach Games at a different time of year to further increase participation and overall appeal.”

“This highlights the Beach Games’ growing importance as a high-performance pathway event, in addition to its community and recreational focus,” concluded Halston in relation to the Cook Islands beach handball teams using the Games as preparation for continental and global future events.

2026 Cook Islands Beach Games – Beach Handball: Final Ranking

Women’s competition
1. Cook Islands Handball National Women’s Team
2. Brew Crew
3. Vodafone
= 4. Monemone / Cook Islands Youth

Men’s competition
1. Cook Islands Handball National Men’s Team
2. Brew Crew
3. Monemone
= 4. Tama Tane / Cook Islands Youth

Photos: Cook Islands Handball Association / CISNOC