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Hungary can no longer host the 2024 European Women’s Handball Championship in December 2024, between Hungary, Austria, and Switzerland in the form it was originally intended. The best solution was currently being negotiated with the co-organizers, announced Máté Kocsis, President of the Hungarian Handball Federation in an interview with Nemzeti Sport.
“Instead of the European Handball Championship, we have opted for the mass participation of young people in sport,” Máté Kocsis explained. He added that it is not right that Hungary is spending billions of forints on the 2024 European Championship – the costs of which are already being incurred – while thousands of children and junior players are losing their sporting opportunities for months on end due to high energy prices.
The European Handball Championship is a luxury item in these times, he said, and
we have to take note that when we bid for and won the tender to organize the 2024 women’s tournament, there was no war, no sanctions, no energy crisis and no financial difficulties as a result.”
We had to make a decision and instead “chose mass youth sport,” said Kocsis, adding that to this end, an agreement in principle had been reached with the government to use part of the money saved from the costs of the European Championship to support the operation of small clubs this year and next.
The European Handball Federation (EHF), however, was surprised to hear from Hungarian federation president and the Hungarian government on Thursday that the 2024 European Women’s Championship is being scrapped.
The European federation said it was aware that the three organizers of the 2024 women’s tournament, Hungary, Austria, and Switzerland, had recently exchanged information on the matter. However, the EHF will not take any action on the tournament until the Hungarian federation officially informs it of its intentions. At its meeting on January 28, the Executive Committee will discuss the organization of the 2024 Women’s Championship and will provide an update on developments.
Featured photo via Facebook/Magyar Kézilabda-válogatott (MKSZ/Kovács Anikó)