The Euro Parahockey tournament begun on Monday in London at Old Loughtonians HC with 6 national teams competing.
The competition was split into two groups: the elite group, were more experienced and established ParaHockey teams. Here were Portugal, The Netherlands team A, Italy and Germany. The second group was the developing group, where up and coming nations got their first chance to compete on an international stage. In this group were Spain, England and the Netherlands team B.
Most games were very close and the athletes showed some real skill. The development group held their final in the CopperBox arena this morning, where Spain were crowned the champions. The Netherlands B came in second place and England finished third.
In the afternoon, the elite team held its finals and the bronze medal match on the main pitch of the Unibet EuroHockey Championships, at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Center.
Here, Portugal met Netherlands A in the final and Italy met Germany in the bronze medal match. Portugal were crowned the champions, with Italy defeating Germany in the 3/4 place match.
Following the medal ceremony on the pitch, the teams had some time to relax and enjoy the activities around the tournament. They then met for a teams’ dinner in the Clubhouse.
The German ParaHockey team had a special surprise, as the German national team joined them for a practice session in the Fun zone. It was an incredible moment and the ParaHockey players were overjoyed to meet their heroes, who gave them advice and tips!
Source: EHF
Photographs: Frank Uijlenbroek/EHF
Cover photograph: Chris Lee