Representing Australia in Handball

Hello everyone,

My name is Tomek Szklarski and I have been selected to represent Australia in the Asian Handball Championships. This tournament is also a chance for the team to qualify for the World Cup event in 2023. This is a great opportunity to demonstrate our passion for handball and make the sport more popular in Oz before the upcoming Olympic Games in Brisbane.

The Asian Handball Championships are being held in Saudi Arabia between January 16th -31st. The Australian team comes from around the world, we have 16 players in total including players currently living in Australia and Europe. We are holding a training camp in Dubai prior to the Asian Handball Championships, this will give us the opportunity to train as a team for the first time in 3 years (thanks COVID!).

The tournament and camp are self-funded for all Australian players, and playing for the country I love means a lot. I've been representing Australia since 2015 and because Handball is not a popular sport in the APAC region I have to cover all the costs on my own.

Unfortunately, this time the costs that I have to cover are simply too great. Which is why I'm asking for a little bit of help through this GoFundMe website.

Any amount that you can spare would be immensely appreciated and it will go a long way in helping me to represent the country I love.

We have very very minimal help from government and the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) simply because sport is not popular enough.

The overall cost of the camp and tournament is $5500, with $500 donated through the government and sponsors, leaving players $5000 out of pocket to attend (not including unpaid leave).

Players are paying to represent country (and being away for 3 weeks from their families)... despite that we are all proud and want to do it... Just need a little bit extra help. Competition is broadcasted over whole globe so marketing possibilities are incredible.

https://handballaustralia.org.au/2021/12/07/handball-australia-announces-selection-for-asian-mens-championship/?fbclid=IwAR3o8z3dY01juzmkF5jbNm7RL3I0kadSMqDniXdFCYxnso_ClaIddi9Fc8Y

Thank you for your help,

Tomek