From yesterday until next Sunday, June 28, 70 teams from eight countries and 1,134 athletes are participating in this event, which features nearly 160 matches over four days. The Councilor for Sports, Maica Hurtado, has highlighted that the tournament exemplifies the sport and tourism synergy promoted by the City Council, emphasizing its innovative and international character.
Hurtado stated that the competition turns Castellón into a meeting point for young athletes from different countries and demonstrates the city's capacity to host international sports events. The tournament, organized by C.D. Balonmano Castellón RMR along with JD, and supported by the Castellón City Council, its Sports Board, the Provincial Council of Castellón, the Generalitat Valenciana, and the Valencian Community Handball Federation, aims to become one of Europe's most prominent youth tournaments.
Its main innovation is being the continent's first tournament to integrate two competitions on different surfaces, court and beach, sharing a sports village. Court matches are held in seven indoor pavilions in Castellón, while beach handball takes place at Playa del Pinar.
The competition is structured into 12 categories based on gender and age (alevín, infantil, cadete, juvenil, and benjamín), for athletes born between 2007 and 2017. Each team plays a minimum of five matches in the group stage. The program on Sunday, 28, will conclude with the trophy ceremony at the Pabellón Ciutat de Castelló, scheduled after 3:00 PM.
In addition to the competition, the tournament includes a complementary program of social activities with a strong Olympic spirit, based on values such as respect, motivation, and resilience, principles that are part of CD Balonmano Castellón's philosophy in training its youngest athletes.
The Castellón International Handball Cup. RMR will mobilize 1,134 athletes from Spain and abroad, providing a significant boost to the city's economic activity, particularly in the hospitality, restaurant, and retail sectors, coinciding with the start of the summer season.
