Tournament start on Wednesday
Handball European Championship starts in Düsseldorf with a world record setting
The Merkur Spiel-Arena is still being assembled and converted. The opening game of the European Handball Championship will take place here in Düsseldorf.
© Federico Gambarini/dpa / DPA
The European Handball Championship starts this Wednesday. For this purpose, the stadium of the second division soccer team Fortuna Düsseldorf was extensively renovated. The fans can expect a spectacle of superlatives.
53,000 fans will create a world record crowd for the German team’s first group game against Switzerland. To make this possible, additional stands with a capacity of more than 9,000 seats were built. Around 25,000 parts were needed for this.
Planning and renovations for the European Handball Championship have now been going on for almost three years
“The atmosphere will be a unique experience for the players and spectators in the arena, but also for the TV audience,” predicted Hannes Müller, head of the Euro department at the European Handball Federation. This will also be ensured by around 250 loudspeakers, 50 amplifiers, 500 movable lamps and 30 laser systems.
“The planning process began in 2021 with the first technical inspection. In total, the EHF and all groups involved have now been working on this project for almost three years,” reported Müller.
The conversion of the home of the second division soccer team Fortuna Düsseldorf into a handball arena began in mid-December with the closure of the stadium roof. As a result, the lawn was removed, a stable substructure made of aluminum panels was built for the numerous trucks and mechanics, and the heating system was started. On game day the temperature in the arena should be 22 degrees.
“In the meantime, over 100 construction workers were on the arena construction site. All companies worked hand in hand,” said Thomas Freyer, head of the International Events Department of the German Handball Federation. Finally, the hall floor was laid.
“We had 50 semi-trailers that delivered material. Plus 300 engines in the roof. These are numbers that impress me. This shows what a big event this is,” said DHB CEO Mark Schober.
Read at stern+: German handball has been a bit lackluster recently – the last title was eight years ago. After the clear win against Portugal, that should now change at the home European Championship. Important source of hope: Juri Knorr, 23 years old, young talent with a penchant for quarreling