NEWS RELEASE
HANDBALL CLUB TORONTO
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Beach handball? Your mind probably went in many different directions trying to picture this sport.
While it is an emerging sport in North America, in South America and the eastern continents it is established and growing rapidly. So much so that it will be a showcase sport at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
However, even if you tune in to watch this fast-paced sport this summer, there is still development required before you see Canada compete in these international events. Yet that is not stopping Barrie resident and current Beach Handball Canada athlete Jason Miller from striving towards that goal.
“Attending the Olympics is the goal for every athlete,” Miller said. “We understand there is no guarantee it will ever become an official Olympic sport, so we are just working to become as strong of a team as possible so if that opportunity ever came up, we would be ready.”
While beach handball will also not be in the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games, there are other upcoming global tournaments that Miller and his national teammates are working towards, including the International Handball Federation World Championships taking place in China this summer.
Team Canada has a tough road to reach that competition and will need to finish top two in the North American and Caribbean Handball Confederation (NACHC) Beach Handball Championship taking place in Puerto Rico in April to qualify.
“There are many established countries standing in our way. But we have continued to grow as a team with each training camp and think we can compete with anyone in the competition,” Miller said. “We have extra challenges in training since we are the only country that does not have access to a beach throughout the year, but that only motivates us to work even harder.”
Miller, like many who pick up beach handball in Canada, has unorthodox paths into the sport. A former college basketball player, after graduating, he was looking for a way to keep competing at a high level, and adult leagues were not cutting it. On a whim he attended an indoor handball match at the 2015 Toronto Pan Am Games and instantly got hooked. From there he joined Handball Club Toronto and continued to get better and better.
First starting indoor, then transitioning to the beach variant, in only eight years playing he is amazed at how many doors the sport has opened up.
“My sports background transitioned perfectly to beach handball,” Miller said. “I have been able to travel to Spain, United States, Puerto Rico, and across Canada to train and compete, all because I decided to try something new.”
To get Canada highly ranked on the international level will require more local grassroots growth, something that Miller is aiming to do after his playing days are behind him.
“I have been so fortunate to play this game, and want to make it so other athletes are exposed.
“My goal in the near future is to create a youth handball club in Simcoe County so local athletes can find their passion for the sport and have even more opportunities than I have had.”
You can follow Miller and Team Canada on their quest for World Championship qualification on the NACHC website.
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