MOTIVATION AND REASONS FOR ORGANIZING ECh 2014
a. Promotion of handball
b. Positioning of the Croatian and the Hungarian Handball Federation as relevant partners to the European Handball Federation and reliable organizers
c. International promotion of the State and the host cities
Over the decades handball has been one of the most popular sports in Croatia and in Hungary. The
people have practiced it with love, spectators supporting their favorite teams or playing it for
leisure. Our athletes and our team of handball experts have had one of the leading rolls at the
international competitions and they have contributed a great deal in developing the game itself, as
they continue to do so. It was because of them that handball has become increasingly popular both
among the domestic sport public and the international one.
In order to maintain this tradition, our strongest motive to organize the 2014 Men’s European
Championship is precisely the further promotion and popularization of handball. It is a unique
opportunity for each generation of spectators, but especially for the young ones to see the best of
what handball has to offer and to host to the best European handball players.
It is our desire to encourage children to practice handball more, either in the physical education
classes in their schools or in handball clubs. Working with children and forming the players are the
leading tasks of the persons in charge of handball. By bringing a top event as the Handball European
Championship, we give the opportunity to the young generations to identify themselves with their
idols by watching them live.
Alongside with our primary objective - encouraging young people to play handball - there is
another motivating point for our candidature.
Winning the right of organization would also help the international promotion of the hosting cities
and the country itself. Our countries, being tourist destinations, have major interest in developing
all branches of tourism. For years, tourist organizations have dedicated more and more attention to
sport tourism, whether it have been recreational and leisure activities or tourists that have been
coming to the country as sport fans to cheer their teams at international competitions. Therefore it
is in the best interest of the state and the local institutions to support all entities that are willing to
organize international sport events, as they do in the case of bid for 2014 European Championship.
We are definitely count on the major support from the side of the governments.
In case the Croatian-Hungarian bid earns the trust of the EHF and wins the right to organize the
2014 Men’s European Championship, we will again demonstrate that we are a reliable and
trustworthy partner to the head organization of European handball which is yet another reason for
bidding.