One of the key messages at the Women’s EHF EURO 2022 was female empowerment, with the aim of putting the focus on the women on and off the court who make the event happen. The event saw a range of initiatives highlighting the role women play in and around handball.
Exclusive editorial was a major part of the initiative. Ahead of the tournament a series of articles written by journalist Danijela Vekić appeared on eurohandball.com focusing on ‘women at the heart of the game’. The series featured successful handball players who switched from stellar performances on the court to take up remarkable roles in different sports functions.
During the EHF EURO the regular newsletter was written by Courtney Gahan, with the aim of providing fans with news from the tournament written in a personalised, female voice. The newsletter included Gahan’s personal takes on the EHF EURO; her story of the day; and the woman or a fact of the day.
A separate series of articles featured women on and off the court who made the event happen, such as photographers and producers, and the players juggling their careers as athletes with their roles as mothers. The pieces were featured on the EHF LinkedIn page and in the live blog every day.
The tournament also showcased the best photographs. The EHF partnered with photo agency kolektiffimages to share the best images of the previous day on social media, always highlighting the role of women. Two of the best pictures will be submitted to the Women in Sports International Photo Awards.
Three mini-documentaries were released showcasing iconic stories and players at the EHF EURO: Montenegrin wing Jovanka Radicevic, who retired from international competition with a bronze medal; Norwegian goalkeeping great Katrine Lunde; and the Swiss national team, who made their EHF EURO debut in 2022.
Alongside the tournament the EHF hosted the Women’s Handball Conference. Over 130 participants from 32 countries attended, listening to presentations from experts in various fields related to the development and promotion of women’s handball.
These included presentations on the preparation of national teams for qualification and final EHF EURO tournaments; the use of handball role models for the future; the EHF Respect Your Talent programme, the player development pathway and the ‘circle of handball life’; best practice; the presentation of women’s sport; and the role of clubs and leagues in strengthening women’s handball.
The EHF EURO 2022 also worked with female influencers to raise awareness of the tournament and of women’s sport more generally. This included a special collaboration with a visual artist from Montenegro, Andrijana Vešović. Under her artistic name Zombijana, Andrijana created a range of Instagram posts in which she empowered women to participate in sports in different ways.
