During the final day of the men’s and women’s beach handball competitions of The World Games Chengdu 2025, ihf.info spoke with International World Games Association (IWGA) President José Perurena López and IWGA Chief Executive Officer Joachim Gossow about beach handball at The World Games.

José Perurena López, President - IWGA

IHF.info: What are your thoughts watching the medal matches?

José Perurena López: It is absolutely a high, high-level. It is incredible. I love it because when people, come to watch it for the first time, they say; ‘Oh, it's dynamic, it changes’, consequently, this is important.

I am also a member of the Spanish Olympic Committee (General Assembly) and I like beach handball because in Spain handball is very popular – it is one of their top four popular sports. In handball and beach handball the teams have very good results all the time and I am very happy now because Spain’s women won bronze.

IHF.info: Different continents have won medals in the men’s and women’s beach handball competitions, how important is that for the IWGA to see?

José Perurena López: This is key. When we move the [medals around] different continents it’s the key. If beach handball would like to get into the Olympic Games, you need minimum representation in three continents, so this is very important.

IHF.info: The very first part of the IHF Beach Handball Rules of the Game talks about the philosophy of ‘Fair Play’ being the most important aspect of the sport, what does the mean to you at the IWGA?

José Perurena López: Yes, this is our philosophy. We grow and we push the standard level for the athletes [to make it] similar to the Olympic Games, but not by cancelling our Fair Play.

I think the atmosphere here at the beach handball, at Chengdu 2025 [in general], we can see all the athletes, all the different teams and all the different sports together. This is our philosophy and we follow respect all the time.

IHF.info: What have been your thoughts on Chengdu 2025 overall?

José Perurena López: I spoke with the Spanish women’s beach handball team and they told me everything was the maximum it could be – and others told me the same.

In fact, all the athletes, coaches, National Olympic Committees, all in general, have all told me it has been at the maximum. From the quality of the opening ceremony, to the quality of the venues – plus the volunteers, who are, all the time, ready. People have said there is not one problem they are yet to solve, plus The World Games athletes’ villages are have been at a high, high level. 

Joachim Gossow, Chief Executive Officer - IWGA

IHF.info: What is your role when you come to watch sports, like beach handball? What have you seen here at Chengdu 2025?

Joachim Gossow: The experience that we have collected here is that the organiser really performed very well in the infrastructure and the buildings for all the teams – it doesn't matter in which sport you are in participating in – they did a really fabulous job and delivered.

For us, it's also important to see how the sports perform and what the improvements are. You always have to apply for the next edition.

This year, unfortunately, the [beach handball] medal games were only the second day that I could watch, because we have so many sports on the programme, and we have only 11 days and the distances [between venues] to cover.

IHF.info: You have a background in handball? Did you ever play beach handball?

Joachim Gossow: I was a handball player (up until 1988) and at that time, there was no beach handball. For Duisburg 2005 (the second The World Games event where beach handball featured) I had responsibility as a sports director and beach handball was directly dynamite on the programme, and then it was very well recognised later on the programme officially (2001, 2005 and 2009 beach handball was a ‘demonstration’ event at The World Games).

I played in the clubs of clubs of TuSEM Essen, VfL Gummersbach, and OSC Rheinhausen and later on, I was also a coach at TSV Bayer Dormagen (1997-1998). I played, luckily in the youth club of Rheinhausen, with a lot of 17, 18 year olds, including a lot of well-known players, for example, Daniel Stephan (IHF Men’s World Handball Player of the Year – 1998) and so on. 

They came from Rheinhausen – this is my home club – and it was a pleasure also working as a coach over there. It was a great experience.

IHF.info: The referees who whistled the men’s gold medal match - Sylwia Bartkowiak and Weronika Lakomy from Poland – played for the Polish women’s national team at The World Games Wroclaw 2017. How important is that for you to see?

Joachim Gossow: We like that very much because it shows the interest in The World Games. What could be better for us? It doesn't matter which sport, but it's a good example. It's a way that we would like to see; that we have The World Games family and that you are not once in it and then out. We like to keep that together and the International Handball Federation is doing a great job on that.