French Ambassador to Qatar Eric Chevallier (right) looks on as IHF president Dr Hassan Moustafa addresses a reception at the French Embassy in Doha yesterday. PICTURE: Jayaram
By Sports Reporter/Doha
France will host the 25th Men’s Handball World Championship in 2017 and the road to France has already started in Qatar. Both finalists — France and Qatar — are the first two teams to be confirmed participants of this event, which will be staged from January 16 to 29, 2017, in ten cities throughout France.
Yesterday morning the Organising Committee and the French Ambassador to Qatar, Eric Chevallier, hosted a reception in the French embassy, attended by IHF president Dr Hassan Moustafa, European Handball Federation president Jean Brihault, French Secretary of State for Sports Thierry Braillard and Organising Committee of France 2017 chairman Joel Delplanque.
Delplanque praised the Organising Committee of the 24th Men’s Handball World Championship in Doha.
“The organisers did a great job, now it is our joy and responsibility to take the baton from Doha. The 2017 World Championship is a great opportunity to promote handball in France and all over the world.”
Delplanque hopes for sold-out venues in all cities, and IHF president Dr Hassan Moustafa is even confident to break the spectator record for World Championships in France.
“In 2007 in Germany, 750,000 tickets were sold. I believe in France we can break the one million mark.”
France will host a handball World Championship for the fourth time after two men’s events in 1970 and 2001 and the women’s event in 2007.
“All those World Championships had been milestones for handball. The 2007 event is still the record holder for women’s events in terms of ticket sales,” Moustafa said, praising the French Handball Federation. “You are well known as excellent organisers.”
The 2017 World Championship will take place in Aix-en-Provence, Albertville, Brest, Lille, Metz, Montpellier, Nancy, Nantes, Paris and Rouen including the football stadium in Lille and the Arena Paris-Bercy, where the final weekend will be staged as in 2001 and 2007.
Like in Doha, 24 teams will compete for the medals in the same playing system with preliminary round, knock-out-stage and President’s Cup. The qualification will start in January 2016 with the European, African and Asian championships, followed by the European play-offs and the Pan-American championships in June 2016.
In March 2015, the organisers of France 2017 will unveil the logo and the website for this event. The French Federation was awarded the right to host this event in Sao Paolo, Brazil, in December 2011. France will also host the Women’s European Championship in 2018.
After France, the next Men’s Handball World Championship will be organised jointly by Germany and Denmark in 2019 after the decision of the IHF Council in Doha in October 2014.
