On the eve of the ANOC World Beach Games – Qatar 2019, Giampiero Masi, Chairperson of the IHF Beach Handball Working Group, sat down with IHF.info to give us his thoughts ahead of the debut edition of the global sporting event where men’s and women’s beach handball will be one of the 14 different sporting competitions taking place.

IHF.info: Why is it important that beach handball is present at the debut edition of the ANOC World Beach Games?

Giampiero Masi: It is really important for us because it is another step forward towards the introduction of our sport into the Olympic Games. The highest level of teams are here in Doha and we consider it as high as a world championship, only with a slightly less (12 instead of 16) number of teams in each competition. It is one of the top events which we are going to organise.

IHF.info: Tell us about the journey of beach handball in becoming a sport at ANOC World Beach Games – Qatar 2019?

Giampiero Masi: We knew about being part of it around two years ago. For us, it’s important to be at the debut edition officially as a sport and not as an invitational one. This is an important recognition of our efforts with the sport over the past five or six years.

To be an official sport in this competition shows our sport has a value and the ANOC recognises beach handball as one of the main beach sports.

Of course, it was important to have experience of the previous editions of the World Games in 2013 in Colombia and 2017, in Poland, where we had great success, but the first real introduction of getting the sport hereat Qatar 2019, and the important step, was its inclusion in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games.

IHF.info: How important is it to have all six IHF continental champions represented here?

Giampiero Masi: It’s a great honour and pleasure for me to be able to say that we have six continental qualification tournaments around the world for ANOC World Beach Games which means in all six continents we have played a tournament which is valid as a qualification for this championship.

Now, the new feeling is that beach handball is part of handball life in not only national federations but all the continental federations, something completely different compared to the past. 

Beach handball is an activity inside more than 120 national federations worldwide - we are everywhere. The sport is being played in all continents and it gives me immense pleasure to say that in Africa and Oceania we have a large number of teams playing too now.

IHF.info: When you look back to the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires last year, how proud are you of the global development of beach handball in the past 12 months?

Giampiero Masi: The past year started in Argentina and now we are in Qatar and I think we can all be proud of the continued development of the sport.

For example, in every tournament there is the promise of winning for all teams, but now there is not a big gap amongst the teams. When someone asks me; ‘who will win?’ I cannot say just two, three or four teams anymore. In principle, 60-70% of the teams have the possibility of winning the title in every competition now.

However, I am most proud of the professionalism shown. Teams are more professional now, they have higher standards than at previous competitions and, maybe, this is the progress from the hard work being done behind the scenes of beach handball by everybody involved.

IHF.info: A number of men’s and women’s teams here have players who participated in the IHF U17 Men’s and Women’s Beach Handball Championship as well as the 2018 Youth Olympic Games. How important is it that these young players get the opportunity to play in these senior competitions so early?

Giampiero Masi: That is the future of our sport for sure. We have to not only thank the IHF but the continental federations as well because with the introduction of the U17 Beach Handball World Championship we are creating a new generation of players who we see, after their experience in the youth categories, being part of the senior national team.

This is something we have to consider well for the future; if we work with the younger generations we will produce top players for our senior competitions.

IHF.info: How important is it to have such a strong beach handball nation in Qatar as host of these ANOC World Beach Games?

Giampiero Masi: To have Qatar as a host country means that we have one of the strongest beach handball teams in the world as one of the favourites for the gold medal. Another advantage is that the supporters of Qatar can be present in person at the competition and can create a real atmosphere that we need for the competition.

IHF.info: For fans watching in person and around the world, what can they expect from beach handball at the ANOC World Beach Games – Qatar 2019?

Giampiero Masi: I am excited for them watching. They can expect to see something new, tactically speaking, because all the teams now are working to find new solutions, new tactics and new strategies to win games. With the event being broadcast globally we have the possibility to really go somewhere with the sport.

Following the interview, Masi held a referee and delegate workshop and then chaired the Beach Handball Technical Meeting which featured representatives for all 24 teams.