Just two months remain until the Men’s EHF EURO 2022 throws off in Hungary and Slovakia, and this week saw a milestone in the preparation for the pinnacle event as an external lighting test took place at the newly constructed Budapest Arena.

The EHF EURO 2022 will be the very first major event to be held in the arena, and Portugal, Iceland, the Netherlands and co-hosts Hungary will have the honour of playing the first games as the arena will host preliminary round group B. Budapest Arena will also host the final weekend, following the hosting of main round group I.

The lighting test involved the colours of the Hungarian flag — red, white and green — with a total of 3,300 metres of LED strip lighting, a 700 square metre projector and 2,800 luminaires.

“In 2018, when the Hungarian Handball Federation, together with Slovakia, won the right to host the European Championship 2022, we could only hope that we would have a new and unique arena here before the European Championship," said Government Commissioner Gábor Bardóczy at the lighting test.

“The hall is almost 40 metres high, the outer ring is almost the same size as the Colosseum in Rome, and inside there will be 20,022 seats for spectators and fans. The hall will be inaugurated in mid-December, and in January we hope to see as many of you as possible.”

The Men’s EHF EURO 2022 begins on January 13, with 24 teams vying for the title, and ends on January 30.