Harris County Houston Sports Authority hosted the 2004 USA Team Handball National Championships and diligently worked to put on a premier event. Due to their efforts and dedication the 2004 National Championships was a rousing success. "We are pleased to join with Harris County Houston Sports Authority in hosting this important competition for the second year in a row. Their hard work during 2004 contributed to making a quality tournament which resulted in the 2004 USA Team Handball National Championships being nominated in Sports Travel Magazine's Readers Choice Awards for the Best Single-Sport Event in the Amateur category.” – Dr. James J. Thome, Sr., Chairman, USATH Organizing and Competition Committee.

USA Team Handball is excited to partner with Harris County Houston Sports Authority, not only to host the Championships but also to further develop the Olympic sport of team handball in the Houston area. Harris County Houston Sports Authority professionalism and support has made a significant impact of growing this exciting sport.

Oliver Luck, CEO Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, looks forward to another great year, ”Harris County-Houston Sports Authority is very excited to have been awarded the USA Team Handball National Championship for a second consecutive year. The exposure the 2004 Championships brought to Houston has led us to become further involved in the sport of Team Handball. HCHSA is currently working with former Texas A&M player, Rony Wise , and Annette Bergman to develop grassroots programming for youth and provide training and playing opportunities for Collegiate and future Olympic players. We look forward to also working with the local clubs during the Nationals.

Top teams from around the U.S. will compete in Men and Women’s division for the title of National Champion. The tournament will feature both Olympic and elite athletes along with many future Olympic hopefuls.

Team handball is practiced in more than 140 nations with more than 20 million players worldwide. With origins tracing back to ancient Greece and Rome, team handball was popularized by German physical education experts and was introduced to the Olympic Program in 1936. Not re-introduced until 1972, team handball has seen unprecedented growth since that time and is extremely popular throughout Europe and North Africa, with professional leagues and television coverage similar to that of our professional baseball, basketball and football leagues. Team handball combines the elements of soccer and basketball, as six players move the ball down a floor that is larger than a basketball court. Players try to score by throwing the ball past a goalkeeper into the net. A successful scoring attempt results in the award of a single point. Typical final scores in this action-packed game run into the mid-20s.

USA Team Handball is the National Governing Body for the Olympic sport of team handball in the United States.

For additional information contact: USA Team Handball, 719-866-4036 or email at info@usateamhandball.org or visit the official 2005 USATH National Championships webpage at: http://www.usateamhandball.org/2005nationals.html. Harris County Houston Sports Authority: http://www.hchsa.org/