Paris Saint-Germain Handball to return to Tokyo to prepare for the 2024-2025 season

Yasufumi Kanemaru, President of the Japanese Handball Association (AHJ), Hidenori Miyamoto, Secretary General of the AHJ, Adam Yuki Baig, player of Zeekstar Tokyo, Yuto Agarie, captain of the Japanese national team, and Thierry Omeyer, General Manager of Paris Saint-Germain Handball, met at Japan Sport Olympic Square in Tokyo on Tuesday 21 May to announce the plans for the Japan Tour 2024.

For the second year running, Luka Karabatic and his team-mates will be preparing for their new season in Tokyo, where they will carry out several training sessions at the Ajinomoto training centre and play two preparatory matches, against Zeekstar Tokyo on Tuesday 20 August and the Japanese national team on Thursday 22 August. Both matches will be played at the 13,000-seat Yoyogi National Gymnasium.

Last summer, the Japan Tour set two records of attendance for a handball match in Japan. At the Ariake Arena, the Parisians beat Zeekstar Tokyo (36-27) in front of 10,304 spectators, then beat the Japanese national team (39-24) in front of 10,801.

Les Rouge & Bleu will be taking advantage of this trip to meet up with the capital club’s fans and discover new iconic places in the Japanese capital.

As a new stage in the development of the sport in Japan, Paris Saint-Germain will be taking part in initiatives to promote and spread the word about handball.

“We hope to have as many people as possible this year and spread the appeal of handball. The players of the Paris Saint-Germain team have world-class skills and strategies, and we are confident that watching them play will give new inspiration to handball fans in Japan. This Japan Tour is also an important step in our aim to popularize and develop the game of handball. We hope that many young players will watch them play and be inspired to develop their future goals and dreams.”
Yasufumi Kanemaru, President of the Japanese Handball Association

“We can’t wait to get back to Tokyo and the Japanese fans for another tour. The first Japan Tour was a real success, with optimal preparation conditions for our team and numerous operations to bring us closer to the fans and encourage the development of our sport in Japan. I would like to thank the Japanese Handball Association and the Zeekstar club once again for renewing this wonderful collaboration.”
Thierry Omeyer, General Manager of Paris Saint-Germain Handball