Analysis of the Ukraine National Beach Handball Team Performances at International Sports Competitions

Abstract

Topicality. In modern Ukraine and in the world, beach sports are gaining considerable popularity. This is confirmed by their inclusion for the Continental, World Championships and Olympic Games programs. One of these types is beach handball. The Purpose of the Research is to analyze the results of the Ukraine national and youth beach handball team performances at the European and World Championships as well as at the World Games in the period 2000–2022. Research Stuff and Methods. Analysis of literary sources and competition protocols, methods of analysis and synthesis, mathematical statistics have been used over the study. The Research Results. Participation in the first European beach handball championship in 2000 has impacted the development of this type of sport in Ukraine. The first European Championship was held in Gaeta, Italy. Ukraine has participated in all qualifying draws of the European Championships. At the World Games the Ukraine national teams participated in three qualifying draws: the male team in one draw, the female team in two; each team participated three times at the World Championships. Since 2008, the European Championships among junior national teams have been held, where Ukrainian boys’ teams have participated in ten qualifying draws, as well as girls` teams – in nine. In 2017, the International Handball Federation launched the World Championships among youth teams. Іn 2022, Ukraine took part in similar competitions hosted by Heraklion, Greece. Conclusions. The results of the research evidenced the Ukrainian beach handball players take an active part in the European and World Championships. In general, the national teams demonstrate enough high-quality game and set high positions. At the same time, the results of the competitions depend upon other factors (financial capabilities, technical stuff and sports equipment, the opportunity to train throughout the year), which must be taken into account by the training process management.