From 27 to 29 July, the ‘IHF Beach Handball Showcase’ will take place on the fringes of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Three men’s and three women’s All-star Teams, plus the French men’s and women’s national teams will play Beach Handball games across three days coached by six world-renowned, medal-laden coaches.

In total, 64 (32 men, 32 women) of the world’s best Beach Handball players from 18 countries will feature, including players from Argentina, Brazil, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Islamic Republic of Iran, Netherlands, Norway, People’s Republic of China, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Spain, United States of America and Uruguay.

In a special series of question and answers, IHF.info hears from players and coaches selected for the showcase. This time, it is the France women head coach – Marion Limal and France's men head coach, Paul Mourioux.

IHF.info: Tell us a little about yourself and your Beach Handball background…

Marion Limal: I was born in Dijon, but currently live in Brest where I finished my professional (indoor) handball playing career – I played internationally for France between 2008 and 2012, winning two silver medals at the 2009 and 2011 IHF Women’s World Championships in China and Brazil, respectively.

I discovered Beach Handball back in 2017 at the first-ever European Beach Handball Championships for the French women’s team. I was 30-years-old at the time, and playing in defence. I captained the side and it was an incredible experience as we reached the quarter-finals, eventually finishing seventh to qualify for the 2018 IHF Women’s Beach Handball World Championship in Russia, but I could not go there because it was my last season as a professional player in Brest. However, I did return for the 2019 European Beach Handball Championship in Poland and finished my career as a player there. 

After retiring from playing, I was asked by the French Handball Federation if I could join their staff to share my experience for the new challenge and in 2021, I joined the women’s national team as assistant coach, where I worked at the 2021 European Beach Handball Championship and EHF Championship in 2022 before taking time out for the birth of my second child. 

In late 2023 I became head coach of the women’s national team and recently, we won our first-ever senior Beach Handball medal, with silver at the EHF Beach Handball Championship in Varna. I am also coach at club side Brest Bretagne Handball, who participated twice in the EHF Champions Cup and have coached the regional team who became French champion in both 2022 and 2023. 

IHF.info: You will coach games on home sand at the ‘IHF Beach Handball Showcase’ on the sidelines of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. What does that feel like for you?

Marion Limal: I am honoured to welcome all these great players to France, in what is sure to be an incredible tournament which will show the best of Beach Handball. I’m so excited to feel the atmosphere around and on the court. For my players and myself it will also be a rich experience to meet all the players and exchange information about our sport. 

IHF.info: Why is the IHF Beach Handball Showcase important for Beach Handball?

Marion Limal: ⁠It’s an amazing way to promote Beach Handball. To be in Paris during the Olympic Games is a great opportunity to show how this sport can be spectacular, fun and awesome for the public. I hope it can help us to be as fast as possible into the Olympic sports programme.

IHF.info: What has been your biggest success in Beach Handball as a coach?

Marion Limal: My biggest achievement is for sure the silver medal we earned two weeks ago in Varna. We have a really young and talented team and worked hard all year to make the gap between us and the top eight European nations smaller at each competition. In Varna we played with a lot of serenity and it was great to be their coach. 

IHF.info: What do you love about Beach Handball? / How does Beach Handball make you feel?

Marion Limal: ⁠I love the spirit, how we play and the atmosphere between the teams and delegations. This game offers us a lot of technical and tactical possibilities. I fell in love with this sport at first sight and I would love to have discovered Beach Handball earlier so I could have had the opportunity to play much longer.

IHF.info: What are your hopes for the future of Beach Handball and the Olympic Games?

Marion Limal: I would like to see it in the Olympic Games soon. Everyone is working hard to show how great is this sport to make this dream for all of us come true.

IHF.info: What would you say to anyone who has never played or watched Beach Handball and is thinking of getting involved with the sport?

Marion Limal: Once you play it, you love it. It’s so fun to watch, a nice atmosphere and spectacular games. There isn’t any doubt about the fact that everyone will get a huge pleasure to be involved in the sport.

“We must be visible and accessible”

IHF.info: Tell us a little about yourself and your Beach Handball background…

Paul Mourioux: I was born in Angoulême but now live in Bordeaux. I have never played for any national teams, but as a coach I have been assistant and coach of the men’s youth national team for three years. Now, I am coach of the men’s senior team as well as being responsible for training and technical projects at the French Handball Federation.

I have also been the coach of the Lacanau club side for three years too. Just recently, we participated in our first EHF European Beach Handball Tour (ebt) Finals this season because we were the organisers and hosts. I am also very proud to be the director of the Handball Xperience Tournament in Lacanau as we were the first major Beach Handball tournament in France. In fact, in that same week, we not only organized the ebt Finals, but an ebt Tournament too.

IHF.info: You will coach games on home sand at the ‘IHF Beach Handball Showcase’ on the sidelines of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. What does that feel like for you?

Paul Mourioux: It’s an honour for France and for Beach Handball to be present during the Olympic Games and, for sure, it’s the first time for all participants to be in Paris. For me, it’s the first big step – we must be visible and accessible.

IHF.info: Why is the IHF Beach Handball Showcase important for Beach Handball?

Paul Mourioux: Beach Handball is a spectacular sport. If you want to have spectators, you have to show the best and the IHF Beach Handball Showcase brings together the best athletes and coaches.

IHF.info: What has been your biggest success in Beach Handball as a coach?

Paul Mourioux: In my young coaching career so far, there have been two events which changed my perspective. Firstly, during the 2022 IHF Men’s Youth Beach Handball World Championship in Heraklion, where we finished fourth and, secondly, this past week when we won bronze in the HF Beach Handball Championships 2024 in Varna, Bulgaria.

IHF.info: What do you love about Beach Handball? / How does Beach Handball make you feel?

Paul Mourioux: I played (indoor) handball for 20 years. It was my job, but I was getting bored as I always played against the same players and the same teams. Micka, a founder of a club side called ‘Tchatcheurs’, helped me discover Beach Handball and I fell in love. 

I’m felt free to discover the rules and every day, you can create and test with the players. There is a real potential that reminds me of the beginnings of handball in France in the 1990s and I want to live this adventure.

IHF.info: What are your hopes for the future of Beach Handball and the Olympic Games?

Paul Mourioux: We need to accept that Beach Handball is different to the traditional, ‘Indoor’ Handball and should not try to copy the model of current, other sports. We must innovate with events but also reflect the universality of sport, despite societal problems. 

I find that today the sport spectacle does not create resources for amateur sport so we must think about generating international events in the service of local sport. The Olympic Games are a stage to validate our sport.

However, we must develop Beach Handball among young people. Today, there is a competition for the young people after the U17/U18 – the countries, continents and IHF must lead this generation to carry Beach Handball to reach a maturity by the next or, next but one, Olympic Games.

IHF.info: What would you say to anyone who has never played or watched Beach Handball and is thinking of getting involved with the sport?

Paul Mourioux: Come and sit down for a few minutes and watch it. You won’t be able to leave.

The IHF Beach Handball Showcase is a collaborative effort between the IHF, Paris 2024 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (COJOP2024), French Handball Federation (FFHB) and International Olympic Committee (IOC).