Honour to whom honour is due

EHF President Michael Wiederer praised their passion, contribution and achievements for European and global handball – and he kept an emotional announcement all the way to the end.

The recipients of the EHF Honorary Awards are: 

Jörgen Holmqvist (Sweden)

The long-lasting career of Jörgen Holmqvist started at the Lugi Lund Handball Club, where he became a board member in 1965 and then took over several positions before he became the club’s Honorary Chairman in 1993. For 17 years, he has been a board member of the Swedish Handball Federation and is currently the federation’s vice president. Since 1996, he has also been a strong voice on the international stage: first as President of the IHF Arbitration Commission (1996–2004), then as President of the European Court of Arbitration (ECA Council) from 2008 until 2016. Besides, Holmqvist is an ongoing member of several IHF working groups and acts as an IHF advisor; in 2007, he was awarded Honorary Member of the IHF.  “What counts the most: Jörgen Holmqvist is always ready to support our sport when needed and asked for a contribution,” EHF President Michael Wiederer said. 

Per Otto Furuseth (Norway)

“This is the longest CV I have ever seen,” Michael Wiederer said when addressing Per Otto Furuseth. The EHF President did not only point out Furuseth’s achievements in handball, but also those in education as the Norwegian has been organising several conferences and congresses on a leadership level. As an active player, Furuseth wore the Norwegian jersey 62 times, and then became a coach. For several years he led the Norwegian youth, junior and male national teams. Between 1982 and 2002, Furuseth worked as an analyst at more than 30 major tournaments (Olympic Games, World and European Championships). He worked for the Norwegian Handball Federation for 32 years in total – after his coaching career, first as the head of planning and development, then as an assistant secretary general, and from 2003 until 2011 as secretary general. Furuseth was involved in many functions at the EHF EURO events, for the EHF and as part of the organising committees.

Andrzej Krasnicki (Poland)

“Under the leadership of Andrzej Krasnicki, Polish handball has benefited significantly, not only by improving structures and its performance, but also on the international level. The EHF EURO 2016 has brought a new dimension when it came to promotion and activation of fans; the European Games 2023, with beach handball as part of the programme, were another highlight,” said Michael Wiederer in his laudation on Andrzej Krasnicki, the former President of the Polish Handball Federation. Krasnicki was a player on the youth and junior national teams, then continued as an official, starting as President of the Poznan Club. From 2010 until 2021, Andrzej Krasnicki was President of the Polish Handball Federation and in parallel, from 2010 until 2023, President of the Polish Olympic Committee. On top of that, he held various functions in the European Olympic Committee, the Association of National Olympic Committees and the management board of the World Anti-Doping Agency. 

Miguel Roca Mas (Spain)

Born in Granollers, Miguel Roca Mas has lived a life for handball. “No matter if we talk about handball in Spain, Europe or the world, Miguel has always represented competence,” Michael Wiederer said in his speech. Roca Mas was a player for Granollers, won nine trophies as a coach for his home club and later also with Alicante and FC Barcelona. As an executive, he was the director of the handball tournament at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games, the manager and sports director of the Catalan Federation, a Board Member of the Spanish federation, manager (1988-2003) and President (2003-2006) of the Spanish league, treasurer of the International Handball Federation and the IHF’s Vice President from 2000 until 2017. For the EHF, Roca Mas was a member of the EHF Champions League working groups and he was an initiator of the FINAL4 tournaments in Spain, advocating for this playing system also for the EHF Champions League finals.

The sixth EHF Honorary Award was awarded posthumously: on 1 November 2024, the international handball family was united in its mourning as Morten Stig Christensen, the President of the Danish Handball Association, had passed away at the age of 65. “It was a shock for all of us,” said Michael Wiederer. “We, and I, really feel personally touched, we have lost one of us.” Morten Stig Christensen played 190 matches for the Danish national team and was a three-time Olympian. After finishing his career, he continued in the world of sports, using his communication skills as a commentator and head of TV2 Sport, where he created a new framework for handball. In 2007, he became Secretary General of the Danish Handball Association and was a driving force for handball in Denmark and Europe: from grassroots to top level, locally and internationally. In 2021, Morten Stig Christensen was elected as President of the Danish Handball Association. “Within the EHF system, he was never overambitious, but at the same time always requested to take part in activities, involved through his functions, be it in Committees or Boards,” said Wiederer. 

“To keep his legacy alive and in recognition of his achievements in handball, the new EHF Grassroots Charter, which was presented today at the Conference of Presidents, is named after Morten Stig Christensen and will be from now on the ‘Christensen Grassroots Charter’,” Wiederer said.

All photos (c) EHF/kolektiff. From top to bottom EHF Honorary Members Jörgen Homqvist, Per Otto Furuseth, Morten Stig Christensen.