Maringá, recognized nationally as a hotbed for handball athletes, received the XIX South Central American Handball Championship, the space has the Regional Center of Excellence in Handball (CerHand), an international level complex at the State University of Maringá (EMU).
During the competition Brazil lost the title after being defeated by Argentina 25-24 in the crowded Chico Netto gym. A day later, Egypt became champion of the African Cup and this result opened a place for the pre-Olympic thanks to the ninth place in the 2019 World Cup, which Brazil obtained.
The championship in Maringá was the prelude to the 2020 World Cup in Egypt and was also preparatory to the Pre-Olympic Games between April 17 and 19. Brazil has a great chance of qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The Pre-Olympic has three groups with four teams each, the best two in each group qualifying for the Olympic Games.
Brazil is in Group A with Norway, Chile and Korea. Norway is a favorite in the group followed by Brazil. Chileans and Koreans have no tradition in world handball. Although Brazil was eliminated by Chile at the Pan American Games in Lima, in Maringá Brazil defeated Chile 32-20.
The championship in Maringá was organized by the Maringá Handball Association and the Maringá Sports Secretariat together with CoSCABal.
Testimonials:
“We had problems at the beginning of the championship, the Confederation is starting its work. Maringá helped a lot with the Sports Secretariat. I am very happy with the results. It is a championship that we need to do frequently so that the other countries improve the level. We have a great technical difference with Europe. But the sport also needs a lot of thought and heart and in that we have a great advantage. We have great players, but we don’t play often”, said the president of the South and Central American Handball Confederation (Coscabal), Marcel Mancilla.
“We will continue to work and improve this team. We have to play better in the last minutes of the game. We have a very positive attitude and the team is recovering well from the elimination from the Pan American Games in Peru”, said Brazil coach Daniel Gordo.
“We are starting with handball in Bolivia. We do not have a championship. Of the nine sports departments in the country, there are only four teams. We are preparing younger athletes and the only way we have to play is how it was here in Maringá, in an international championship with good results”. teams that have players playing in Europe”, Bolivia coach, Ana Balán Pardo
“Success. That word sums up the Championship. We have not had an event like this in Maringá for decades. It combined quality with quantity. Quality of games and quantity of audience. Chico Neto was not crowded in a long time like in the Brazil vs Argentina final. We offer a free sports show to Maringá residents”, said the Secretary of Sports and Leisure of Maringá, Valmir Fassina.
“We had the inauguration of CerHand, with a championship game, where we hope that children practice the sport. We had a large audience at the championship, people related to handball from various places came to Maringá. Organizing an international championship is not easy. But we did everything possible to be successful. We strive to make this continue”, president of the Maringaense Handball Association, Elcia Picolo.
