EHF Season Opener will officially open the 2008/2009 EHF Champions League season

Vienna, 11 September 2008 – On the weekend 20/21 September 2008 all eyes will be on Veszprém, Hungary for the 2008 UNIQA EHF Men’s Champions Trophy, where the winners of last season’s European club competitions will meet to fight for to be the Club Champion of Europe.

While this weekend will offer a sporting superlative of the highest class, the occasion will also be the launching pad of the 2008/2009 EHF Champions League season. The European Handball Family will converge on the small town of Veszprem, located in the Balaton region of Hungary and steeped in Handball traditions, to celebrate the first international event in Veszprem’s brand new event venue – Veszprém Arena, which has a capacity of 6 000.

The event offers the perfect platform to open the new EHF Champions League season, as Peter Vargo, EHF Marketing Managing Director confirms, “The simple fact that this top-class event will take place in Veszprem and will be hosted by this club with years of European handball tradition provides us with the perfect opportunity to stage this EHF Season Opener and welcome the European Handball Family, including key partners, to officially open the 2008/2009 EHF Champions League season, which we are expecting to surpass last season’s achievements.”

An EHF Season Opener Marquee will be erected adjacent to the venue, where fans and handball enthusiasts can experience the Champions League feeling and obtain more information about the coming season. The weekend will begin at 14:30 on Saturday 20 September 2008 with a Season Opener Press Conference. The EHF will also welcome major players in the dynamics of the EHF Champions League product development including EHF club competitions partner, Interwetten, which is looking forward to furthering its connection to the European handball Federation and its club competitions.

CEO Thomas Daubek underlines Interwetten’s commitment to handball on a European club level, “We have been working with EHF Marketing for the past season and have taken steps to further our connection to this sport, on a European club level. We place great importance on working closely with the EHF to offer the handball fan top-class sporting entertainment. Together we will introduce new initiatives this coming season, making European club handball even more accessible and more enjoyable to our target audience. We are very excited about this partnership and the prospects it brings with it.”

EHF Season Opener – Key Facts

Saturday, 20 September 2008

14:30 EHF Season Opener Press Conference – in marquee adjacent to venue
15:00 EHF Season Opener Event Marquee opens to the public
16:00 Semi-final 1: Nordhorn /GER vs Veszprém /HUN
18:00 Semi-final 2: THW Kiel/GER vs Ciudad Real/ESP

Sunday, 21 September 2008

13:00 3/4 Final: Loser Semi-final 1 vs Loser Semi-final 2
15:00 Final: Winner Semi-final 1 vs Winner Semi-final 2

Media accreditation form attached, deadline for registration is 17 September 2008.

About the Champions Trophy:

The Champions Trophy (formerly coming under the title of European Championship for Club Teams or commonly the Supercup) commenced in 1994 with FC Barcelona taking the first title ever. Champions Trophy is an event reaped in tradition on the European club circuit, now making it one of the most prestigious events of the season. The EHF relaunched the event under the new name of Champions Trophy in 2007, which is fitting because the champions of the Champions League, EHF Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup meet a wild card entrant to offer the public this attractive event.

About Interwetten:

Interwetten is one of the leading providers of online sport betting. The operating companies and their holding company based in Malta are supported by the Interwetten AG with services.

Founded in 1990 as provider of sport betting via telephone, the company today has 100 employees and reached a betting turnover of about 300 million EUR in 2007. The internationally active company currently has more than 750.000 registered customers in 200

countries. In 2007, bets were placed on more than 90.000 different sports events in more than 70 countries. Altogether, 10.5 million sports bets were placed in the previous year.

For the current business year, Interwetten is expecting a continuation of this success – also thanks to the strong international expansion. The number of placed bets is predicted to be 12 million and the betting turnover should increase to 345 million EUR.

Who to contact:

Sian Rowland
European Handball Federation
Communications Manager
Tel: +43-1-801-51-161
rowland@eurohandball.com

Claudia Reisinger
Interwetten AG
PR-Manager
+43-1-732-10-163
claudia.reisinger@interwetten.com