A two-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic meant a wait for the first edition of a new international six-a-side wheelchair handball competition which could open the door to Paralympic Games inclusion.
A collaboration between the European Handball Federation (EHF) and the International Handball Federation (IHF) in November allowed hosts Portugal to make history by beating the Netherlands in the final of the World and European Wheelchair Handball Championship to become both global and continental champions.
That would be good news for Portugal and for Ricardo Queiros, who claimed 37 goals to finish top scorer as his team won five out of five matches in Leiria. He was delighted with how the championship worked out, especially after the enforced delay.
”I feel simply proud, satisfied and with the feeling of a goal accomplished. To have the opportunity to become European and world champions at ‘home’ left me speechless.
My aim was to be world champion. Then I wanted a moment to dedicate this to a person who is very important to me and is no longer here with me. Then, to have my team all happy. Then I wanted to have a good performance that would make me be one of the best. In that order. Happily, I could have it all. Portugal’s goal is to be at Los Angeles as a Paralympic sport and the plan is to have a demonstration at Paris and I think that will be very important. I’m confident that it will be possible and it will be a big reward for all of those that worked for the growth of this sport. For me, it will be fantastic and a big objective of mine. I want to be there. There are still many years ahead and the other national teams will grow too, so we will have to be in shape and improve even more.”, said Ricardo Queiros
