With the recent conclusion of the IBSA Goalball European B championships, the bidding process has now begun for nations willing to host next year’s A championships for men and/or women or C Championships for men. Some nations may see the home town advantage as being very important as the top 2 nations from the men’s division and the European champion from the women’s division A class are guaranteed a qualification spot for the World Championships to be held in Finland in 2014.

The top 3 nations at the C championships will also be promoted to the next B championships set for 2014. Becoming at B nation is very important for those current C nations that are striving to qualify for the 2016 Paralympic Games. This is because these countries will need to be an A nation by 2015 if they are to have any chance of qualifying for the 2016 Games as regional champions.

Nations interested in bidding for these events are not required to host all three events. They are able to apply for either Men A only, Women A only, Men and Women A together or Men C.

Eligible nations for hosting these events are as follows:

• Men A – Finland, Lithuania, Turkey, Sweden, Slovenia, Spain, Germany, Czech Republic, Belgium and Ukraine.

• Women A – Denmark, Russia, Sweden, Spain, Israel, Finland, Ukraine, Turkey, Germany and Great Britain.

• Men C – Russia, Italy, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Croatia, Greece, Romania, Moldavia, Slovakia, Azerbaijan and other European nations excluding group A and those in group B (Israel, Poland, Hungary and Denmark).

A letter has recently been sent from IBSA Goalball to all eligible nations to invite them to host these Championships. IBSA Goalball has asked interested nations to submit their letter of intention to bid as soon as possible. Following this, they must submit the full submission with all relevant supporting details by 15 December, 2012.

The successful applicant will be notified prior to 31st January 2013. Shortly after this we shall publish on the IBSA website who the successful applicants are.

IBSA Goalball takes many factors into consideration when deciding who is the best nation to host a championships of this level. One of these factors is the proposed dates of the tournament. We do not only consider the competition dates of the tournament but also the arrival and departure dates.

Another issue taken into consideration is the proposed location. This includes the location of the town/city and its proximity to the nearest international airport. Also, the hotel and venue and where they lie in relation to each other. The venue itself is very important as it must meet IBSA Goalball requirements.

A third major consideration is the financial aspect. Budget for running the event as well as funding and sponsors are a key in running a successful event. One final factor is who is able to help organize, run and participate in an event of this calibre. Running a major event requires a lot of time and volunteers: therefore it is very important to IBSA Goalball that we know that the successful applicant has the required manpower to do so.

If you require any extra information on the bidding process for the IBSA Goalball European Championships 2013, please feel free to e-mail [email protected]