Denmark men’s national team, the reigning world champions, were granted the prestigious “Sports Name of the Year” award, for their extraordinary sporting achievements in the past year, by the Danmarks Idrætsforbund, Denmark’s Olympic Committee.

For their outstanding performance at Poland/Sweden 2023, where they became the first team in history to win the title at the IHF Men’s World Championship three times in a row, Denmark men’s national handball team were bestowed the award, after facing stiff competition from cyclist Jonas Vingegaard, the winner of the Tour de France, and badminton player Viktor Axelsen.

“Over more than a decade, the handball team has given us many great experiences and time and time again brought together millions of Danes behind the screen and tens of thousands of people on the Town Hall Square. This is what sport can do when it is at its very best, and the men's handball are also excellent representatives of Denmark, of whom we can all be proud,” said Team Denmark’s chairman, Lars Krarup.

Denmark are now on a 28-match unbeaten streak at the IHF Men’s World Championship, dating back to 2019, and have swept their opponents in astonishing manner over the last three competitions.

The award received in Herning saw several players, including goalkeeper Niklas Landin, and coach Nikolaj Jacobsen, on the stage, rising the profile of the Denmark men’s national team even higher.

“When the men's handball win a WC gold medal for the third time in a row, there is a huge amount of work behind it from many talented people. The final round itself is just the culmination of many years of work, and the medals are the visible proof of succeeding and achieving success. I would like to wish both the players and the entire team behind the team a huge congratulations on the award as Sports Name of the Year 2023, because no one wins alone,” said the Danmarks Idrætsforbund’s chairman, Hans Natorp.

Photo credit: Dansk Handbold