€100,000 in State funding as 2,000 players from 30 countries set to attend World Handball ChampionshipsMinister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar has welcomed the World Handball Championship to Ireland and has predicted a significant tourism spend from the event.
This significant event, which is receiving State funding of €100,000 from Failte Ireland, is expected to involve 2,000 players from 30 countries at the Citywest Convention Centre in Dublin from Thursday. It’s being held in Ireland for the first time in nine years, and the event is being branded as the global re-launch in the birthplace of the sport.
"This has been a great year for sport nationally and internationally and it’s wonderful to see handball coming back home for its global re-launch. This promises to be an exciting tournament with the world’s best players travelling to Ireland, and I’m delighted that the Government can support the event financially," Minister Varadkar said.
Almost two thirds of the 2,000 players are expected to come from outside Ireland, including countries across Europe, Australia and Asia, as well as North and South America. A further 1,000 coaches and officials are also expected to attend.
"This is a good news story for the economy and for Irish tourism, with some 2,000 players and a further 1,000 coaches and officials likely to attend. The visiting players will stay an average of ten days, and every one of them will bring their own experience of Ireland back home with them. I wish GAA Handball Ireland every success in hosting what has been labelled the most innovative handball event in history."
The highlight of the opening day tomorrow will be the Ireland vs USA Showdown Cup tie. This will see the top eight US and Ireland stars going head to head in a ‘Ryder Cup’ style event.
Further information on the Failte Ireland World Handball Championships is available on
www.worldhandball2012.comEnds
Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport Press Office: 01 604 1090/01 604 1087.
Note for Editors
The World Handball Championships is held every three years.
The last two events were held in Portland, Oregon (USA) in 2009 and in Edmonton, Canada in 2006.
Although handball originated in Ireland, it is now played widely around the world.
Ireland previously hosted the event in 1994 and 2003.
The Championship has grown in size over the years. 2009 saw 15 countries participating (1,214 competitors) and the 2012 target is for 30 participating countries (2,000) competitors.
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