Heads of Delegations Conference brings all teams on track for Women’s EHF EURO 2018
Heads of Delegations Conference brings all teams on track for Women’s EHF EURO 2018
With less than 50 days to go to the Women’s EHF EURO 2018 in France (29 November to 16 December), it was time to discuss the nitty-gritty details that play an important role in every teams’ preparation as the heads of delegations convened in Paris last week.
Breakfast plans, transport and accommodation issues were on the ‘this-needs-to-be-discussed-too-side’, while the bigger picture played an equally important role of the meeting.
“Over the years, we have seen a considerable progress in terms of professionalisation from all sides,” says Monika Flixeder, senior manager for the EHF EURO events.
“The teams brought the right people, who knew exactly what questions they needed and wanted to ask, and they were immediately provided with the fitting answers by either the OC or the EHF staff members.
“This Heads of Delegation Conference has definitely brought everyone on track for the Women’s EHF EURO 2018 in France.”
The European Handball Federation presented and explained the playing schedule to the 16 teams. For the first time, the Women’s EHF EURO will start with a dedicated opening match, France vs Russia on 29 November. EHF EURO 2018 is also the first women’s event at which the main round is extended to seven days in total.
With 18 days overall and 16 on which matches are played, the Women’s EHF EURO 2018 has never been longer.
Emphasis was also laid on technology in use at the Women’s EHF EURO 2018 to facilitate and support the work of the referees. The final tournament will see the return of instant replay, goal-line and goal-light technology as well as the substitution area technology; all of them were already in place at EHF EURO events and EHF club competitions.
For the first time used at EURO level will be the ‘Electronic Team Timeout Request’, more commonly known as ‘timeout buzzer’. This buzzer was already used at the EHF FINAL4 events in 2018 and makes its EURO debut in November.
The Women’s EHF EURO 2018 Preliminary Round takes place in Nantes, Nancy, Montbéliard and Brest. The main round host cities are Nantes and Nancy; the final weekend will be played in Paris.
