Two Croatians inducted into handball hall of fame
- by croatiaweek
- in Sport
The European Handball Federation (EHF) will host its annual awards gala on 14 December in Vienna, coinciding with the Women’s European Championship final.
The event will recognise the best players of the 2023/24 season and induct 21 former handball legends into the EHF Hall of Fame.
Croatians among inductees
The Hall of Fame inductees include 14 male and 7 female handball stars, with Croatians Igor Vori and Ivan Čupić among them.
Igor Vori, hailed as one of the finest line players in handball history, enjoyed a stellar career. He won the 2003 World Championship and Olympic gold in 2004 with Croatia. Vori also secured over 30 club titles with top teams like RK Zagreb, FC Barcelona, HSV Hamburg, and Paris Saint-Germain. With a record 246 appearances for the Croatian national team, Vori’s career boasts multiple silver and bronze medals from World and European Championships, as well as an Olympic bronze in 2012.
Igor Vori (Photo: Wenflou/CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication)
Ivan Čupić scored over 500 goals for Croatia during his career from 2005 to 2024. His impressive list of achievements includes Olympic bronze, World Championship silver and bronze, and a handful of European Championship medals.
🏅New legends of the game inducted into ✨#EHF 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐞✨
— European Handball Federation (@EHF_Activities) December 4, 2024
2⃣1⃣ former handball players will be honoured at the #EHFExcellenceAwards gala on 14 December in Vienna, for their outstanding achievements and contribution to European #handball!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/XNvXRBcHhb
EHF President Michael Wiederer emphasised the importance of the gala in honouring handball legends. “This is a perfect opportunity to pay tribute to those who have left an indelible mark on our sport, both on and off the court. Many of them continue to contribute to handball as coaches or in management roles, extending their legacy,” he stated.
Last year, Croatian greats Jelena Grubišić, Ivano Balić, and Irfan Smajlagić were among the inductees.
