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“Winning the Champions League is like taking Olympic gold with the national team” French goalkeeper Christian Gaudin after winning the EHF Champions League with SC Magdeburg (2001) edition of the event in Cologne disproved the critics’ main argument that the tournament would work only if won by a German club. “It was the purely Spanish 2011 final pitting Barcelona against Ciudad Real that broke the ice. When 19,600 spectators were standing up in the last minute of the final to celebrate both teams it was for all to see that this was a handball event, not a home event,” Wiederer recalls. “Today, the VELUX EHF Champions League has reached a level where the question of which club will play in the FI- NAL4 no longer matters.” This was last demonstrated in the 2016 VELUX EHF FINAL4 when, for the first time, the final was played by two teams that were neither from Germany nor from Spain – and this did not make any difference to the atmosphere in the LANXESS arena. That the origins of the participating clubs are meanwhile of almost no relevance at all, is illustrated by the enormous demand for tickets. At the 2016 finals weekend, tickets on sale for the 2017 event were sold out within hours. The fans have truly embraced the VELUX EHF FINAL4 as a holistic experience with bombastic showy elements before the games, the opening ceremony on Friday night with fantastic musical acts and all that comes with it. Cologne has evolved into a genuine European handball institution, according to Wiederer. “The FI- NAL4 is not only a beacon event in sporting and organisational terms, but has always been a great meeting place for the world of handball.” 154
One of its great advantages is the fact that, in staging the VELUX EHF FINAL4, the EHF does not have to deal with changing organising committees, as is the case with the EHF EUROs. “In Cologne, we are the organiser and work with local partners with whom we have developed a very trusting relationship over the years. We also have full control of entertainment inside and outside the arena. This enables us to really shape this event,” says David Szlezak, FINAL4 Manager and, since 2016, also Managing Director of EHF Marketing. “It is like coming back to a familiar place. Everyone knows where to find things. We are not continually confronted with new situations. Processes can be organised more easily.” For this reason, the EHF has extended its agreement with the LANXESS arena until 2020 and has thus created planning security. The new format and the EHF’s evaluation catalogue, which regulates clubs’ participation in the VELUX EHF Champions League, have likewise proven helpful, according to Wiederer. “Many more games were on an equal level, and as the system is quite flexible we can adapt the number of participating teams if needed. But for the upcoming season the system will remain completely the same, then we will do an evaluation.” The clubs’ response has been very positive. With the VELUX EHF FINAL4, the EHF has reached dimensions that appeared utopian when it first took control of the club competitions in 1993. Today, hundreds of media representatives attend club handball’s flagship event and TV reach has become huge. In addition, Cologne has earned for itself a reputation of being at the vanguard of professional handball, as technologies such as goal cameras and instant replay were tested and implemented here at a high level for the first time. The future of European club competitors, epitomised by the Cologne tournament, is in any case bright. Wiederer says: “We can expect another top event in 2017.” 155
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25 YEARS EUROPEAN HANDBALL FEDERATI
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118 CLUB COMPETITIONS 156 DEVELOPME
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The key to the success has been the
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Only those who are aware of the pas
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Europe is the cradle of handball Th
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The beginnings of the EHF After the
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MILESTONE MADEIRA OR: THE LONG ROAD
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The vision of a united handball Eur
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one hand and of friends of handball
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THE STRUCTURE OF THE EHF: CONTINUIT
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Whoever enters the European Handbal
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“Handball in Europe has attained
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The founding session, which was ope
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Today, some of the problems that co
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“A handball match may only be pla
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handball in Europe has been created
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STRUCTURE “I have been very impre
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“The presence of handball on toda
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powerhouse in international handbal
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“The EHF works closely with all i
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EHF CONFERENCE OF PRESIDENTS 1998,
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IT TOOK THE EHF EURO ONLY 25 YEARS
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tional handball markets such as Den
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“The EHF and the IHF cannot both
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Another typically European feature:
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“Now, with the Olympics, World an
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“The ECh is the top-quality event
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“Hosting an ECh after Sweden will
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EURO in Slovenia would not be break
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den and France (title winner in 200
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has been fostered even further thro
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EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 84
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EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 90
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EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS This is also
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Anybody who wanted to gaze into the
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Page 114 and 115: EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 1992 TO 2016
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Page 119: THE CLUB COMPETITIONS THE META- MOR
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Page 131 and 132: “Every time I land in Cologne pri
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Page 137 and 138: The next major modification of the
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Page 143 and 144: “This option opens marketing pote
Page 145 and 146: General Michael Wiederer said in Ja
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Page 149 and 150: “It was the purely Spanish 2011 f
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Page 153: As the 2016 final tournament in Nan
Page 157 and 158: YES, WE CAN! The development of han
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Page 172 and 173: “We started our initiative two ye
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Page 181 and 182: With its breathtaking athleticism,
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Page 185 and 186: Having lived and participated in th
Page 187 and 188: 2014 - party Time Women’s U 19 EU
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