13.01.2022, 11:00
Changing lives for families in Malawi at Men's EHF EURO 2022

MEDIA RELEASE: After each match at the Men’s EHF EURO 2022, the best player will receive the Grundfos Player of the Match award

When the Men's EHF EURO 2022 throws off today it promises to be the best yet and will embody what will be a celebration of handball. 

This is the second time the event has been co-hosted and the second time there are 24 teams – and the first time that it is jointly held by Hungary and Slovakia, two countries where the sport is rapidly growing in popularity. 

As an official partner of the Men’s EHF EURO 2022, Grundfos has decided to create attention around UN’s Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – in particular, Goal 6 (Clean water and sanitation) and Goal 13 (Climate action). Grundfos will make a donation in the name of each ‘Player of the Match’ throughout the tournament in association with the Red Cross to help provide clean water and sanitation to families in Malawi.

“At Grundfos we are committed to delivering safe water to 300 million people that don’t have access today. As supporters of both handball and the UN’s SDG 6, we are proud to combine the championship with the possibility to bring clean and safe water to people in need. By naming a player as the Grundfos Player of the Match, we will both highlight their excellent performance on the handball court as well as our ongoing mission to help citizens in the world to gain access to clean water,” says Annika Behm Gullstrand, Senior Director – Branding & Marketing Services, Grundfos. 

“The theme for 2022 is ‘more’ and we have embraced the ‘Do More’ aspect by looking at how we can do more for one of the countries which is facing severe water challenges. We will donate 38 hygiene kits, providing water and sanitation for families in Malawi each time a player wins the Grundfos Player of the Match,” Annika adds.

According to Danish Red Cross only 63 per cent of the rural population in Malawi have access to the most basic drinking water services and only 41 per cent have access to basic sanitation. So, this support is one step closer towards helping local communities in Malawi. Grundfos in the past ran similar campaigns during the Men’s EURO in 2020 and at the Women’s EURO in 2020.

Safe drinking water and access to sanitation and hygiene services prevent the spread of diseases and increase the health of communities. It also continues the protection and empowerment of vulnerable groups, especially women and children. By bringing drinking water and sanitation closer to home, for example, children will have more time for school and can alleviate poverty. 

Martin Hausleitner, EHF Secretary General, said: “We are proud to once again, through our partner Grundfos, be able to help provide access to safe drinking water in Malawi. We will ensure the ‘Do More’ message is carried out through activations during the event and we look forward to playing our part in shedding more light on the topic in Malawi and beyond.” 

TEXT: European Handball Federation