The team was seen off to the most important competition in its history by the President of the Lithuanian Handball Federation Vilius Rašimas, the director of the company “Statybų vizija” Vytautas Tilinskas, the advisor to the Speaker of the Seimas Saulius Stripeika, and the head chef of the restaurant “Etno dvaras” Ramūnas Giraitis as well as the marketing manager Kęstutis Markevičius.
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From September 16 to 20, the championship will take place in the city of Granollers, where 12 teams from six continents will compete. The Lithuanian national team was placed in Group D, where they will face teams from Egypt and Chile. The Lithuanians secured their place in the world championship at the 2025 European 4-on-4 wheelchair handball championship held in Vilnius, where they won bronze medals.
The Lithuanian national team’s journey from the first training sessions to the world championship is consistently organized by the Lithuanian Association of Physical Activity for the Disabled (LNFAA).
“The athletes earned their ticket to the world championship on the court, but the opportunity to use it requires a huge amount of work off the court. LNFAA has taken on the main responsibility for this team’s journey – from assembling the team and training to equipment, logistics, and participation in the championship. At the same time, we clearly feel how much a timely helping hand from partners can give. Without support and people who not only encourage with words but also help find real solutions, such a journey would be much more difficult,” says LNFAA president and team leader Paulius Glaska.
One of the most important steps in preparation was the targeted financial support provided by the company “Statybų vizija.” With this support, the team purchased four new sports wheelchairs, which improved training conditions and allowed better preparation for top-level competitions.
The restaurant “Etno dvaras” also financially contributed to the team’s participation in the world championship. The farewell event held at this partner’s venue became a symbolic last team meeting in Lithuania before the trip to Spain.
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The sponsor “Etno dvaras” organized a traditional Lithuanian dishes dinner for the team’s farewell. During it, the representative of “Etno dvaras,” Kęstutis Markevičius, presented the dishes served to the athletes and guests and their traditions. The evening participants also tasted locally made kvass fermented from bread sourdough.
“I thank the owner of the restaurant ‘Etno dvaras’ for agreeing to contribute to this meaningful initiative. We are glad to host you and see you off to the world championship. It is clear from the first meeting how strong and united a team you are,” said “Etno dvaras” representative Kęstutis Markevičius.
“We sincerely thank the company ‘Statybų vizija’ and the restaurant ‘Etno dvaras,’ as well as the advisor to the Speaker of the Seimas Saulius Stripeika and the Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Sports Giedrius Grybauskas. Each of their contributions helped achieve a concrete result. We hope that these partnerships will not end with the farewell and will become the beginning of long-term cooperation. Wheelchair handball is growing in Lithuania, and this is the result of all our joint work,” emphasizes P. Glaska.
Ten athletes will represent Lithuania at the world championship – seven men and three women: team captain Edgaras Čiaplinskas, Mažvydas Butkevičius, Dalius Žymantas, Raimondas Stanislovaitis, Haroldas Tukanas, Artūras Mažeika, Aurimas Černiauskas, Aistė Krušinskaitė, Aušra Vaitulevičienė, and Marija Gintarė Bigataitė. The team’s head coach is Karolis Kaladinskas, physiotherapist Kristina Čiaplinskė, technical staff Olegas Stočkus, and team leader Paulius Glaska.
The Lithuanian wheelchair handball team has existed for a little over a year and a half. In a short time, the assembled team has already won a bronze medal at the European championship and the right to debut at the world championship. LNFAA emphasizes that this achievement is the result of the association’s focused work, athletes’ perseverance, coaches’ professionalism, and targeted partner support.
