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. 

IHF.info speaks to some of those involved in the global spectacular in this special series of features in the lead-up to what is sure to be a spectacular event.

This time, we here from two of the referees at what will be an extra-special event for them – they will be whistling on home sand – the French pair of Mathieu Fanack from Lyon and Cedric Dare from Metz.

IHF.info: You recently whistled the final of the 2024 IHF Women’s Beach Handball World Championship, how does that feel?

Mathieu Fanack: It's amazing. We have no words to describe how it was. We really enjoyed the game. It was a really, really good game with a beautiful atmosphere. It was never against the rules and always with the first rule of Beach Handball – ‘Fair Play’. It was really perfect.

Cedric Dare: The arena was full of spectators in a very good mood too, we just enjoyed it with the feeling that we did the job to let the players decide the outcome of the game.

IHF.info: At the end of the final, the officials and referees who were not working gave you a standing ovation, what did they feel like?

Mathieu Fanack: We are a family. It shows our support in the whole team. On the court, we are two referees and two delegates, but in fact, we are all together on the field. We are a team and everybody took part in our performance.

IHF.info: Tell us a little bit about your journey into becoming Beach Handball referees? We heard you started in indoor handball, but IHF Beach Handball delegate Jerome Roland discovered you…

Mathieu Fanack: We were whistling indoor and were part of the EHF Young Referees Programme before we discovered Beach Handball in 2016.

It was an invitation from Jerome, who is well-known in Beach Handball. He was looking in France for some referees who embraced the Beach Handball values. He took just 15 minutes to describe to us how Beach Handball works and we really fell in love with the sport at this moment. Since then, and since doing the very first Beach Handball course with the very first French national team, we fell in love and gave everything to Beach Handball.

Cedric Dare: Yes, we have been Beach Handball referees since the last IHF Men’s and Women’s Beach Handball World Championships in Greece (2022). Since then, we have whistled a lot, one of the highlights, in addition to whistling at China 2024, being the 2023 European Games men’s final between Hungary and Spain, which was a fantastic match by night, a really nice show.

IHF.info: What do you like the most about Beach Handball?

Cedric Dare: What I love is the ‘Fair Play’ in this sport. I love it. Every new player who plays Beach Handball finishes the match with a big smile. This sport gives a lot of emotions during 20 minutes and the shoot-outs are really sensational.

Mathieu Fanack: The atmosphere, and yes, the Fair Play. It's something that you can feel when you enter the court. The fraternity between players. Beach Handball is a really big family including players, coaches and referees and is something clearly different than indoor handball. 

IHF.info: You will whistle 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?

Cedric Dare: We feel very happy. Very happy to be a part of this new competition with a lot of stars. 

Mathieu Fanack: We know that the French Handball Federation wants to improve Beach Handball a lot in France and that they were speaking with the IHF to promote it in the right way during the Olympic Games.

We heard some things, but we were just crossing our fingers that the event could be part of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and after a long moment it became real. It's something quite unbelievable. 

We started Beach Handball in France something like eight years ago. To see the path the sport and everyone has taken during all these years and now to have the opportunity to showcase it during the Olympics Games I just cannot imagine it 10 years ago, it's just crazy.

IHF.info: As referees how can you help towards showcasing Beach Handball in the best possible way?

Cedric Dare: For me, it's important to show to everyone that Beach Handball is a spectacular and Fair Play sport with amazing athletes. For every action we can push our nice Fair Play mood and we will do it with a nice smile. 

Mathieu Fanack: Our main task will be to just to let the players play as usual. We are just there to ensure that the game will be as much fun as possible – and to protect them also. We just want to enjoy it like the players because it will be a crazy experience.

IHF.info: As a Beach Handball fan you must be excited about the world’s best players all playing together in one place, on the same team…

Mathieu Fanack: I will not point out some specific players, but the showcase players are a perfect mix between some older ones with a lot of experience from previous competitions and some new, younger ones coming from the younger age categories who have made some good performances, plus we also have new two new coaches from the men on the women's sides too.

We are on the way to a top level, trying to improve the sport and this is a very good opportunity for them all to showcase how much we have improved as a sport since it began.

Cedric Dare: The players and coaches who will be in Paris have a really good personality. They love the sport so they will show the best of this sport, which is a really nice movement.

IHF.info: You are not just Beach Handball fans, but Handball fans in general – will you be going to any of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Handball competition?

Cedric Dare: I already bought tickets for the men’s semi-finals in Lille few months ago. I want to be a part of this competition. We will be a part of the Beach Handball event and then as spectators for the Indoor Handball event. It will be a fantastic experience with more than 20,000 spectators.

Mathieu Fanack: I’ve bought tickets too. It's a unique opportunity to bring the whole family to an Olympic event. We will be part of two matches in Lille to see – hopefully – the French teams in the final. We will see.

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).