Dans le cadre des championnat d’Europe A qui se déroulent à Wilrijk, la fédération européenne chapeaute un Euro de Parahockey.
Il s’agit du Cronos EC ParaHockey qui est organisé par le Royal Victory Hockey Club et encadré par 80 bénévoles du club.
150 joueurs venus de 9 pays se disputeront les titres dans les trois catégories.
Les équipes engagées : Belgique, Pays-Bas, Angleterre (chacune deux équipes, les autres une). Allemagne, France, Irlande, Italie, Espagne, Portugal.
Les finales de cet Euro auront lieu sur le terrain de Wilrijk de 14.15hr à 16.45hr le mercredi 21 août.
Le communiqué du Victory
EDEGEM, 15 August 2019 – Royal Victory Hockey Club is all set for the Cronos EC ParaHockey, that will take place on the pitches of the parahockey pioneer in Flanders and Belgium.
Most of the hockey world’s attention these days is focussed on the main European championships at the Wilrijkse Pleinen from 16 to 25 August. Alongside the main tournament, the European Hockey Federation also caters for a European championship for parahockey players with a mental disability. This event will take place from 19 to 21 August.
The Cronos EC ParaHockey will be organised by Royal Victory Hockey Club, the largest club in the Flemish part of Belgium and the leading parahockey club in the country. “Parahockey has been one of the club’s three pillars since 2011,” explains chairman Leo Lucas. “To us, parahockey is equal to our top sport division that supplies many players to the national youth and senior squads, and to our recreational players who constitute the majority of our active members. To name but one example, Victory gives all the revenue from our main annual social activity, Victory Sings, to the Victory Wanderers, our parahockey team.”
The EHF also attaches much importance to the Cronos EC ParaHockey. “The EHF values integration highly, as demonstrated by our recent communication campaign with the “#equally amazing” hashtag. This campaign confirms that hockey is a sport for all and that its inclusiveness is part and parcel of our development targets,” says Marijke Fleuren, EHF Chairwoman.
Precisely inclusiveness was the main reason for the title sponsor, Cronos, an IT group with more than 5,000 colleagues, to get on board. “Cronos is already closely involved with parahockey at Victory. In our own company, we witness on a daily basis how colleagues with autism can shine if they are given the opportunity. There’s no reason why this should not be the case in sports in general and in hockey in particular, says Rita Verreydt of Cronos.
Victory already organised the parahockey event during the previous European championships in Belgium in 2013. The 2019 edition will be the largest edition to date. No less than 144 players from 9 countries will be supported by dozens of officials of the EHF, the Belgian hockey association and Victory and by over 80 Victory volunteers. Belgium, France and The Netherlands each supply two teams. France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain and Portugal will be represented by a single team. The tournament will be played in three divisions: Championship, Trophy and Challenge. On Monday, selection games for these divisions will be held. The division qualifiers will take place on Tuesday. The Cronos EC ParaHockey finals will take place on the Wilrijkse Pleinen main pitch on Wednesday from 2 pm.
On Sunday 18 August, Victory is organising parahockey event for teams from Belgium and The Netherlands.
