04.10.2013, 04:19
100 reasons to visit the Men’s EHF EURO 2014 in Denmark

EHF EURO COUNTDOWN: The European Handball Federation’s flagship national team event is just around the corner - and eurohandball.com has been looking for reasons why you must not miss out on it

100 reasons to visit the Men’s EHF EURO 2014 in Denmark

We are rapidly approaching the throw-off for the 2014 Men's EHF European Championship in Denmark.

From 12 to 26 January next year 16 European teams will show the very best handball has on offer in their quest for the sport's European throne.

As the event reaches the 100-days-to-go-mark in the first week of October and to whet the fans' appetite, eurohandball.com has been looking for 100 reasons why you should not miss out on this highlight of the 2014 handball calendar.

The reasons will be published in groups of 10 over the coming days and every day one reason will also be published on the event's official Facebook page.

While some are truly sports-based, some have to be read tongue-in-cheek, but overall they will give a picture why the 2014 European Championship is worth a visit.

For anyone who can't wait to be part of the Men's EHF EURO 2014, tickets are just a click away.

Here come reasons 1 to 10 why you should not miss out on the Men's EHF EURO 2014:

Reason 1: To find out whether - only for the second time in Men's EHF EURO history - the hosts can win the title. The only team who achieved that feat to date was Sweden in 2002

Reason 2: To very likely watch the current as well as five previous World Handball Players of the Year take to the court: Daniel Narcisse (FRA/2012), Mikkel Hansen (DEN/2011), Filip Jicha (CZE/2010), Slawomir Szmal (POL/2009), Thierry Omeyer (FRA/2008) and Nikola Karabatic (FRA/2007)

Reason 3: To get to know the three European teams (the three best ranked ones in the end) which qualify directly for the World Championship 2015 in Qatar. Spain as defending world champions are already qualified.

Reason 4: To watch the coaching prowess of a true pair of EHF EURO legends: Sweden's Ola Lindgren and Staffan Olsson were both part of the Swedish team that won the EHF EURO events in 1994, 1998, 2000 and 2002.

Reason 5: To enjoy some true handball experience on the highest level as each of the 16 teams has participated at least once at an EHF EURO event.

Reason 6: To see whether Croatian wing player Zlatko Horvat will once again sport a 1970s-style moustache like he did at the 2012 London Olympic Games at which Croatia finished third.

Reason 7: To follow the performance of the event's only father-and-son-duo. In the Hungarian national team Lajos Mocsai sits on the bench, while his son Tamas is one of squad's back court players.

Reasons 8: To travel at least once from Aalborg (host city for Group B) to Copenhagen (host city of Group D) as these two venues are the furthest away from each other. The distance stands at about 220 kilometres as the crow flies, but then you really have to fly to find such a shortcut.

Reason 9: To savour the tast of smørrebrød. According to the online dictionary Wikipedia the famous Danish open sandwich is created the following way: "A slice or two of toppings (such cold cuts, meat, fish, cheese or spreads) is placed on the buttered bread, and then decorated with the right accompaniments, to create a tasty and visually appealing food item."

Reason 10: To take measuring tape and measure if any player is taller than Danish left back Nicolaj Markussen (pictured) who stands at impressive 2,11 metres.

The next 10 reasons will be published on Tuesday, 8 October - stay tuned for more.

TEXT: Björn Pazen / ts