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One year to go to ANOC World Beach Games Bali 2023

05 Aug. 2022

One year to go to ANOC World Beach Games Bali 2023

Today marks one year to go until the start of the second edition of the ANOC World Beach Games, which is due to take place on the sandy beaches of Bali, Indonesia, with 14 sports on the programme, including beach handball.

The multi-sport event featuring sand-based sports is organised by the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) and will take place from 5 to 12 August 2023 on the island of Bali. It will be followed by the ANOC General Assembly (13 to 15 August). 
Beach handball is an integral part of the programme of the ANOC World Beach Games, having already been confirmed as part of the core programme of sports until 2025.

“We cannot wait to once again have the privilege of watching the world’s best athletes compete in a celebration of elite beach and water sports. In Bali we have excellent partners who we have no doubt will deliver an unforgettable event next year.

“Bali is known all around the world for its beaches and will provide the ultimate environment for our elite athletes; and stunning backdrops for our global audience,” said Acting ANOC President Robin Mitchell.

Beach handball will be a well-represented sports in the competition, with 12 teams each in both the men’s and the women’s tournament, for a total of 240 athletes ready to represent their countries.

In both the men’s and the women’s competitions, hosts Indonesia will have earned an automatic place, while the top five teams from the IHF Beach Handball World Championship are also qualified. 

The top-placed teams from each continental tournament – the AHF Asian Beach Handball Championship, the EHF European Beach Handball Championship, the CAHB African Beach Handball Championship, the OCHF Oceania Beach Handball Championship, the SCAHC South and Central American Beach Handball Championship and the NACHC North America and Caribbean Beach Handball Championship – who have not earned their place already at the ANOC World Beach Games, will also have a spot in the tournament.

For the men’s tournament, the top five ranked teams at the 2022 IHF Men’s Beach Handball World Championship in Greece – Croatia, Denmark, Brazil, Greece and Qatar – are already qualified, while in the women’s tournament, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Greece and Denmark have earned their spots, after finishing in the top five at Greece 2022.

To mark the ‘One year to go’ celebrations, ANOC World Beach Games will host an Instagram Live, starting at 12:00 CEST, which will be moderated by beach handball’s Ebiye Jeremy Udo-Udoma, who is not only Beach Athlete Director at USA Team Handball but has been part of the USA men's beach handball team since 2015. Just last month, he finished fourth with USA at The World Games 2022 on home ground.

Udo-Udoma, also well-known as the ‘Handball Ninja’ in the handball community, will lead through the Instagram Live, which will be also attended by Giulia Gasparri (Italy) from Beach Tennis and Beach Karate’s Ahmad Zigi Zaresta (Indonesia). 

 

 

For the 2023 edition of the ANOC World Beach Games, 14 sports will be on the cards, with 3×3 Basketball, AirBadminton, Rowing Beach Sprint and Surfing (longboard and shortboard) being added to the programme, which already contained Open Water Swimming 5km & Beach Water Polo, Beach Soccer, Beach Handball, Individual Kata, Kite Foil, Beach Tennis, Aquathlon, Beach Volleyball 4×4 and Beach Wrestling.

The four new sports were selected by ANOC and the Indonesian National Olympic Committee (KOI) based on the core principles that the programme should comprise sports that can be delivered sustainably and in line with the Games’ commitment to youth and inclusion. The Games is also an opportunity to showcase different and modern disciplines and all four additional sports have proven very popular with athletes and fans alike.

About the ANOC World Beach Games

The ANOC World Beach Games is a global multi-sport event organised by ANOC. The debut edition was hosted in Qatar in 2019. It is a young and inclusive event that combines beach, water and action sports with their top athletes and connects them with a new generation of sports fans. For more information on the competition, click here.