Leuven’s Sportoase the host venue for men’s 2024 EuroHockey indoors
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Loading... - Thomas Bourgeois
- 30 May 2023
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Belgium has been chosen as the host country for the men's EuroHockey Indoor Championship, marking the second time it will organize the event. The tournament will take place at the Sportoase venue in Leuven from February 1st to 4th, 2024. Ten of Europe's top teams will participate, including reigning European and World Cup champions, Austria, who are placed in Pool A alongside Germany, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, and Spain. Hosts Belgium find themselves in Pool B alongside the Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland, and Croatia, the finalists of the World Cup.
Serge Pilet, CEO of Hockey Belgium, expressed his delight with the announcement: "Following the cancellation of the Indoor World Cup in Liège in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the visibility of indoor hockey in Belgium required a fresh boost to support the growth of the sport in our country. The EuroHockey Indoor Men's Championship at Leuven's Sportoase venue will provide us with the perfect opportunity to showcase the best of indoor hockey and the enthusiasm shared by the Belgian and European public for this exciting variant of the game. With this event, Hockey Belgium aims to demonstrate once again its ability to organize top-notch and innovative hockey tournaments. I am confident that, in collaboration with the EHF, KHC Leuven club, and the city of Leuven, we will create an unforgettable edition of the indoor Euros."
Belgium previously hosted the event in 2018, delivering a spectacular showcase at the Lotto Arena in Antwerp, where they clinched a silver medal. They are eager to perform in front of a passionate home crowd and build upon their fifth-place finish at the Indoor World Cup in South Africa earlier in January. Serge Pilet added, "After the remarkable performance of the Belgian men at the Indoor World Cup earlier this year, our Indoor Red Lions are thrilled to compete in front of their home supporters this time."
The upcoming EuroHockey indoor tournaments will kick off a busy two weeks of international competition. The women's EuroHockey Indoor Championship is scheduled to take place in Berlin, Germany, from February 8th to 11th, 2024, with the Horst Kober Halle selected as the venue. Additionally, Portugal will host the men's Indoor Championship II-A event in Paredes at the Pavilhão Multiusos, while Hungary will welcome Championship II-B, marking the country's first hosting of such an event. On the women's side, Ireland will also host their inaugural EuroHockey Indoor Championship at the Kingfisher Sports Centre, University of Galway, in Galway.
