Ukrainians ready to prove their class

After the biggest success in Ukrainian beach handball history, silver medal at the World Championship in Oman in July 2012, the national team of Ukraine are hoping to go one step further on the continental front. 

50-year-old head coach of the Ukrainian men’s national team, Oleg Sych, has nominated 12 players for preparation to the European Beach Handball Championship in Randers, Denmark (9-14 July).

Oleg Sych worked for three years in the backroom staff of Igor Turchin’s legendary team Spartak Kiev and the USSR during their golden era in the mid-eighties (1982-1984).

The head coach of indoor handball team HC Portovik, recent bronze medalists in the domestic championship, has been working with the beach team since 2004.

“Our preparation started at the Ukrainian Beach Handball Championship (26-30 June) with participation of nine teams in the city of Yuzhny near the Black Sea,” said Oleg Sych.

“My team, HC Portovik, based on players of the national team, finished only fifth. First of all, because of some experiments with the squad and the players not yet fully fit.

“After the World Championship in Oman I cannot count on Oleg Kumogorodsky and Eduard Zakharov. However, another eight players from that team, including the MVP and second top scorer of tournament Viktor Ladyko and Alexandr Poltoratskyi are still in the list for the European Championship”

“On 2 July we gather for the second phase of preparations in Yuzhny and after three or four days I’ll nominate the ten players squad”

“Firstly, we try to advance from our group and then we will be seeking the podium. With all respect to all our rivals, the main favourites of our preliminary campaign are Croatia and Hungary,” admits Sych.

Ukrainian captain Yuriy Mankovsky is firmly convinced that every team can make a surprise.

“Beach handball is so specific. Goalkeepers play a huge role and we must always remember fortune and I won’t be surprised any result of tournament. For example, there are no underdogs in our group.

“After our bright performance in Oman, we understand that opponents will be specially adjusted for matches against us.

“We have a tremendous atmosphere in the team, this is our advantage too; the only issue will be the almost 3,000 km distance from Ukraine to Denmark by bus.

“Despite it, we still believe that our prior aim, to qualify for the World Championships 2014 in Morocco, is very possible,” said the32-year-old Mankovsky.   

In Group A of the European Beach Handball Championship Ukraine will face Turkey, Serbia (9 July), Hungary, Sweden (10 July) and Croatia (11 July) in the battle for a top-4 place and a place in the next round.

Ukrainian provisional squad for the 2013 European Beach Handball Championship:

Igor Chupryna, Vladymyr Rakitin; Alexandr Poltoratskyi, Dmytriy Gunko, Zakhar Denysov, Yuriy Mankovsky, Artem Kozakevych, Evgeniy Buinenko, Leonid Mikhaylytenko, (all – HC Portovik), Viktor Shkrobanets (TUR), Viacheslav Sadovyi (HC winland, SLK) and Viktor Ladyko (Besiktas JK, TUR).

Information about the European Championship

The 2013 European Beach Handball Championship throw off in Randers, Denmark, from 9 to 14 July 2013.

Entry to the event area for spectators is free. There are no tickets necessary.

Defending champions in both the men's and the women's event are the teams from Croatia.

For more information and to keep up to date visit also the event's official website and become a fan of the EHF's beach handball Facebook page.