Denmark come to China 2024 as current ANOC World Beach Games (after beating Hungary in the 2019 final) and European Games champions from last summer. And with a fifth-place result at the 2022 IHF Women’s Beach Handball World Championships in Greece last time out, they will be fighting for medals again.

Despite those successes, their most recent big event, the 2023 European Championships in Portugal was a disappointment – their 7/8 placement match win over Croatia ensuring qualification for China.

The previous two continental events had seen the Danes on the podium, with gold in 2019 and silver in 2021 but 2023 would not see them replicate that success, despite one of the strongest starts which saw them win five of their six preliminary and main round games (against Italy, France, Netherlands, Germany and Spain) and lose just one – against eventual winners Germany (0-2).

But the Danish women were undone by the host nation Portugal in the last eight, losing via shoot-out before that method saw them lose again in the first round of the 5-8 placement round, against Norway 1-2 (23:11, 20:21, SO 8:9). However, that final game win against Croatia saw them leave with something at least.

Leading the front as usual for Denmark was the legendary Line Gyldenlove Kristensen who finished second in the scoring charts with 132 points (14.67 per game) – Kristensen, along with teammate Larsen, has also been invited to showcase her skills to the world on the fringes of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games next month in the IHF Beach Handball Showcase.

A few weeks after that continental event in the last European summer, the debut of Beach Handball at the European Games took place in Poland and Denmark showcased just what they are capable of, taking gold after seeing off Spain in the final.

At the IHF Beach Handball World Championship last time out, Greece 2022, Denmark again started strongly, winning their first five preliminary and main round group games 2-0 (against Vietnam, USA, Spain, Thailand and Portugal), before a shoot-out loss to hosts and then current world champions, Greece.

Again, the Danes were undone in the quarter-final, going down 1-2 to Netherlands, who would go on to win bronze. But with a place at the upcoming 2023 ANOC World Beach Games in Bali at stake for fifth place, Denmark fought hard to see off Portugal and then Brazil – both via shoot-outs – to book their ticket to Indonesia for the competition that would eventually be cancelled.
 
Long-term coach Morten Frandsen Holmen has rekindled the early 2010s power of the Danish women – who won silver in both the 2010 and 2012 world championships – into his current team, but with the Danish handball federation describing Line Kristensen as a ‘living legend’, it is clear where and who he starts building his team around – the 37-year-old pivot.

But in a country which long undervalued beach handball in favour of the indoor game, beach is starting to give players back to the inside game with Kristensen “exceeding everyone’s expectations in her first season in Denmark’s best indoor league”, the ‘Bambusa Kvindeligaen’, finishing top of the scoring charts on 243 goals, ahead of global stars like Nora Mork, Dione Housheer and Henny Reistad.

Fellow key player, specialist Line Larsen, also had a huge breakthrough in the league with her team Skanderborg Handbold as she topped the assist list and was voted on to the All-star Team as the best left back – in total, six of the Danish squad for China will have played the league season, also including Freja Hammer, goalkeeper for Odense Handball.

Half of the squad for China won gold in Poland last year, with all 10 named for Pingtan drawing on international experience.

“The 20-plus players who have taken part in our two gatherings this year have really done well - and thus it’s difficult for us coaches to decide the 10 for China 2024,” said coach Frandsen Holmen. “Having said that, I am very happy with the team we have selected. Many of the players come in good shape from their indoor teams.”

Further preparation for the team has including a Beach Handball Festival in Aarhus, where the women's national team played against a local All-star Team, with joint preparations alongside Norway's women's national team in Fjerritslev in mid-May.

At China 2024 Denmark will again face the USA in their preliminary group where they will be joined by training partners Norway and 2022 bronze medallists Netherlands.

Coach: Morten Frandsen Holmen

Key Players: Line Gyldenlove Kristensen, Line Berggren Larsen, Freja Hammer

Qualification information: 2023 EHF Women’s European Beach Handball Championship – 7th

History in Tournament: 2004-2008: DNQ, 2010: 2nd, 2012: 2nd, 2014: 7th, 2016: DNQ, 2018: 5th, 2022: 5th

Group at China 2024: Group C: Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, USA