- Title: France handball champions welcomed by Hollande at presidential palace
- Date: 30th January 2017
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (JANUARY 30, 2017) (AGENCY POOL) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** EXTERIOR OF ELYSEE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE FRANCE HANDBALL TEAM ARRIVING WITH MEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY FRANCE HANDBALL TEAM WALKING UP STEPS TO ELYSEE FRANCE'S NIKOLA KARABATIC ARRIVING WITH HIS CHILD FRANCE'S CEDRIC SORHAINDO POSING FOR PHOTOS WITH HIS CHILD AND OLIVIER NYOKAS ON STEPS OF ELYSEE KARABATIC POSING FOR PHOTOS WITH CHILD FRENCH PRESIDENT, FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, ARRIVING AT NEWS BRIEFING HANDBALL TROPHY (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT, FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, SAYING: "I wanted to first of all congratulate you because you won the World Cup. It was both a tradition and a continuity, because you won the handball World Cup for the sixth time. You could have got weary, you could have sat this one out, it's possible. You already had this mindset during the Olympic Games so it wasn't necessary to reproduce it, but you coped with the position as favourites." TEAM AND OFFICIALS GATHERED HOLLANDE POSING FOR PHOTO WITH FRANCE GOALKEEPER, THIERRY OMEYER, NEXT TO TROPHY VARIOUS OF HOLLANDE POSING FOR PHOTO WITH HANDBALL TEAM, OFFICIALS AND FAMILY MEMBERS
- Embargoed: 13th February 2017 17:49
- Keywords: Handball France Francois Hollande championship Elysee
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- City: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Handball,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA001619XPHB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: French President Francois Hollande welcomed the country's handball team to the Elysee presidential palace on Monday (January 30) after they claimed a record-extending sixth world handball title by beating Norway 33-26 in a tense final on Sunday (January 29).
France now have six world titles, two Olympic golds and three European titles ahead of Russia/Soviet Union and Sweden in terms of major championship triumphs.
The country, coached by their ex-player Didier Dinart, have won eight of the 10 major championships since 2008, having only failed at the 2013 worlds where they were knocked out in the last eight and the 2016 Olympics where they lost in the final.
"I wanted to first of all congratulate you because you won the World Cup. It was both a tradition and a continuity, because you won the handball World Cup for the sixth time. You could have got weary, you could have sat this one out, it's possible. You already had this mindset during the Olympic Games so it wasn't necessary to reproduce it, but you coped with the position as favourites," Hollande said.
It was France's second world title at home after their 2001 triumph. - Copyright Holder: POOL (CAN SELL)
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