The 2021 Colombian National Interleague and Interclub Beach Handball Championship were held from December 3rd to 5th, in the municipality of Coveñas. It was the first time the tournament had been hosted by the department of Sucre, in northern Colombia.
As part of this tournament, athletes were shortlisted for the 2022 Beach Handball World Championships qualifier. Qualification events for the Central and South America Handball Federation will take place in April, while the World Championships will be held in June, on the Greek island of Crete.
Clubs from around the country participated in the championship, including Fénix from Antioquia, Pelícano from Bolívar, and Talento Sucreño, Las Palmas, Pita en Medio, and Inedsante from Sucre. A total of 14 men’s and 13 women’s teams competed, plus a mixed team with five athletes between 15 and 17 years old and five older players.
Before the championships, beach handball referee training was held from November 30th to December 2nd, including an international certification.
The 2022 event in Greece will be the first IHF Beach Handball World Championships since 2018, when the men’s and women’s tournaments were held in Kazan, Russia. This will include men’s, women’s, and youth’s (U18) tournaments. While Colombia didn’t qualify for either the men’s or women’s tournaments in 2018, it’s optimistic about its chances in 2022.
