World Handball Championship hits the streets of Barcelona
Along with other cities such as Madrid, Seville or Zaragoza, Barcelona and the neighbouring town of Granollers have played host to the Handball World Championship which comes to a climax this weekend in the Palau Sant Jordi in the Catalan capital. Last night, local handball fans watched as Spain and Germany battled it out to reach Friday’s semi-finals. Spain won 28-24 in a team featuring FC Barcelona players Victor Tomás, Albert Rocas and Daniel Sarmiento and now face Slovenia in tomorrow’s semi-final clash.
Barcelona (CNA).\u2013 Through until this Sunday, the Catalan capital will be the centre of the handball world as the four best teams Spain, Slovenia, Denmark and Croatia will battle it out to be crowned World Champions 2013. Spain made it through to last four after defeating the Germans in a tough match at the Principe Felipe Pavilion in Zaragoza which finished 28-24. The game was close throughout bur midway through the second half Spain stretched ahead and kept its four goal lead through to the end of the match.
Now the focus of the tournament switches to the Palau Sant Jordi where at 7.15pm on Friday fans can enjoy Spain\u2019s semi-final clash against Slovenia who disposed of Russia in a nail-biting game (28-27). The second semi-final, to be played at 9.30pm features Denmark who defeated Hungary by just two goals (28-26) and Croatia who easily beat France (30-23).
The Palau Sant Jordi, the multifunctional sports arena built for the Summer Olympic Games in 1992 is the ideal setting for the world championship\u2019s closing stages. Catalonia has a long tradition of handball and has two teams in the Spanish Asobal League, Barça Intersport with an 8,000-seat stadium and Fraikin Granollers, home to 6,000 handball fans in the city some 30 kms north the Catalan capital.
- Catalan Víctor Tomás celebrating Spain's victory over Germany in the World Championship quarter-final (by Reuters / M. Djurica)