A country with a rich beach handball tradition, Croatia hosted the annual Jarun Cup on the shores of Lake Jarun for the 16th time last week.
When the event first became part of the ebt in 2015, a total of 20 men’s and six women’s teams were at the start; meanwhile, the Jarun Cup has grown into a huge beach handball feast with 37 senior, 25 junior, and – this year for the first time – four veteran teams.
A total of 470 senior and 250 junior players, plus 31 officials (referees and delegates), representing 21 different countries, created an unforgettable tournament.
GRD Leca – Spar won the men’s competition, where the Portuguese side edged out home crowd favourites BHC Zagreb in the shoot-out of a thrilling final (18:16, 20:21, 8:6), with Danish contenders Aarhus Beach completing the podium in third place.
A shoot-out also brought the decision in the all-Dutch women’s final, where Westside Amsterdam came from behind to beat Hiekka Houskaa U18 (23:24, 33:28, 6:2). Hungarian side OVB Beach Girls-Salgótarján finished third.
