Fans to vote on the EHF EURO 2016 mascot name

Grabek, Goldłapek, Handbalek, Handboy and High Five.

These are the five possible names that have been selected for the Men’s EHF EURO 2016 mascot, so far just commonly known as the 'golden hand', after hundreds of people had sent in their suggestions and over 700 entries were received.

This did not make it easy for the naming contest board, made up of Chairman of the EHF EURO 2016 Organising Committee Marcin Herra, Polish Handball Federation Vice President Henryk Szczepański, 2004 Olympic swimming champion in the 200m butterfly Otylia Jędrzejczak, former Polish international Artur Siódmiak and Polish singer Rafał Brzozowski, which met on Friday and had to select the best suggestions.

However, the toughest choice is left to Europe’s handball fans who can now vote for their favourite name on the EHF EURO Facebook page.

The voting will stay open until 26 April 2015. On the same day, at the Polish Cup Finals, the winning name will be made public and two tickets for the opening day of the Men’s EHF EURO 2016 (15 to 31 January 2016) will be awarded to the person who came up with the name.

'Grabek', by the way, makes reference to the Polish word 'graba', which is colloquial for hand, whereas Goldłapek can be translated as 'goldcatcher'.

Selected the five best suggestions (from left to right): Former Polish international Artur Siódmiak, Polish Handball Federation Vice President Henryk Szczepański, 2004 Olympic swimming champion in the 200m butterfly Otylia Jędrzejczak, Chairman of the EHF EURO 2016 Organising Committee Marcin Herra and Polish singer Rafał Brzozowski

The jury gives its reasons

Following the announcement of the five potential names, the jury also published the reasons behind its decision.

Grabek: "The name has a favourable connotation and is a successful attempt to personalise the mascot. In the Polish youth' colloquial language 'grab hold of my hand' ('daj grabę') means 'give me five' or just 'let’s shake hands' as a sign of approval.

It is worth emphasising that this collocation has only positive connotations. The Polish name of the mascot can also be easily recognised in English as 'to grab' can refer to grabbing rebounds when a player gets possession of the ball.

Goldłapek ('Goldcatcher'): "This is an original example of creative word building that links two languages, the English word 'gold' and the Polish word 'łapek' (a humorous name for somebody who catches).

One of the values of EHF EURO 2016 is overcoming the barriers and interconnecting the cultures. The 'gold' element subconsciously develops associations with victory and the top position while at the same time 'łapek' gives it a chance to appeal to younger generation of fans."

Handbalek: "This is a Polish diminutive of the English name of the sport. The word is easy to pronounce both by Polish and foreign speakers. It brings positive emotions and it will surely appeal to the youngest fans of handball."

Handboy: "This is a likeable name and at the same time an accurate description of the mascot. It is a friendly gesture towards the younger generation. It is also the name which is most consistent with the graphic image of the mascot as it naturally brings along associations with a hand and a boy."

High Five: "High Five is an international gesture often connected with sports, treated as a form of greeting or appreciation. During the teams presentation before the game the players exchange 'high fives' and after the match they do it with their competitors, saying 'thank you' for the game.