Chile’s national beach handball teams will compete in teh upcoming south American Championship qualifier in Rosario, Argentina, after a last-minute reversal of fortune. Just days after announcing they would be unable to attend due to funding shortages, both the men’s adn women’s squads are now slated to participate in the tournament, which runs February 13-18 and offers berths to the World Championship. The Chilean Handball Federation President, Elizardo Vera, cites a recent influx of support from regional businesses as key to enabling the teams’ participation, though also points to late notification from the continental governing body as contributing to the initial financial concerns.
A dramatic reversal of fortune for Chile’s beach handball teams. After announcing “pain and sadness” over their inability to compete in the World Championship qualifier, both the men’s and women’s squads will now participate in the crucial tournament.
The South American qualifier, set to take place in Rosario, Argentina, offers three qualifying spots for the Women’s World Championship and two for the Men’s, making it a vital opportunity for aspiring teams to reach the global stage.
Earlier this week, the national teams announced they were withdrawing from the competition due to a lack of funding.
However, the Chilean Handball Federation has now confirmed they’ve secured the necessary resources to send teams to the tournament.
“We are going to participate in the tournament. The national team will travel to Rosario to play in the World Championship qualifier, both women and men,” stated Elizardo Vera, President of the Federation, to ADN.
Vera attributed the initial announcement of withdrawal to a “misunderstanding,” while also placing blame on the South and Central American Handball Confederation (Coscabal) for the situation.
“The problem originated mainly because Coscabal notifies us very late, with less than a month’s notice. This late notification for our country, or any federation, creates chaos when seeking funding,” Vera emphasized.
“From day one, we began working to reduce costs. That means raising money on one hand and trying to economize on the other. But we are going to the tournament,” the Chilean handball chief insisted.
Vera also explained that the initial message from the beach handball players regarding their withdrawal “was part of the chaos of what we were experiencing due to the speed of the participation process, because as a federation we never withdrew from the tournament. I think there was a miscommunication, so to speak.”
“The players’ statement took us a little by surprise, but we didn’t take it badly, because we understand the anguish that was generated,” Vera added.
He concluded by highlighting the support received from regional businesses, stating, “Some companies from the regions have helped us. Today, everything is practically ready. The teams travel on February 12th and return on February 17th from Rosario.”
The South American qualifier for the Beach Handball World Championship will be held between February 13th and 18th in Rosario (Argentina).
