The six-member board, whose introduction was decided by the EHF Executive Committee in its session on 31 January, brings together three female and three male players: Slovenia’s Ana Gros and Blaz Janc, Serbia’s Andrea Lekic, Norway’s Vilde Ingstad, Spain's Gonzalo Perez de Vargas and Denmark’s Rasmus Lauge.
Four members were chosen directly by their fellow players in a vote that concluded on 10 August. A total of 922 eligible players took part. National federations had nominated the candidates, while voting rights were open to players with international experience at EHF EUROs, Qualifiers or European club competitions. Candidates needed to have featured at the Women’s EHF EURO 2024, Men’s EHF EURO 2026 and/or the 2025/26 European club season.
From the female candidates, Ana Gros and Andrea Lekic were elected directly. On the men’s side, Gonzalo Perez de Vargas and Blaz Janc received direct nominations. The EHF Executive Committee completed the six-person line-up with Vilde Ingstad and Rasmus Lauge, the next-ranked candidates in the women’s and men’s votes, respectively.
The Players Board is the second gender-equal board within the EHF structure after the Nations Board, also represented with three female and three male members.
Platform for the future of handball
Michael Wiederer, EHF President, commented on the introduction of the new board: “The European Handball Federation is actively integrating female and male players into the work of the EHF, and now into its decision-making process with the introduction of the Players Board. It is comparable to the International Olympic Committee’s Athletes’ Commission and corresponds with the EHF’s goal of involving representatives of all stakeholder groups within our structure by giving the players a platform to shape the future of handball.
“Congratulations to the players who were elected to the board. We are sure they will proudly carry the voice and experiences of European athletes and be an integral part of the development of handball in the future.”
The selected players combine extensive experience at the highest level of club and international handball, all of them winning top international competitions. Slovenian right back Gros, who won the EHF Champions League in 2024, has been among the leading scorers in the respective competition for more than a decade and became only the fifth player to reach 1,000 goals in the competition. Serbian centre back Lekic, also one of only five players in Club 1,000, won the EHF Champions League in 2013 and was named IHF World Player of the Year in the same year. Ingstad has represented Norway since 2014, winning gold at EHF EUROs, IHF World Championships and Olympic Games along the way. She currently plays for EHF Champions League participants FTC-Toyota Kovács.
Among the men, Pérez de Vargas brings a long record as a goalkeeper for Spain and at club level. He won five EHF Champions League titles during his time at Barça before moving to THW Kiel in 2025. He has also won two EHF EURO titles with Spain, in 2018 and 2020. Janc, the Slovenian right wing currently playing for Barça, has won the EHF Champions League four times, in 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2026. Lauge is one of Denmark’s most experienced internationals: an Olympic champion, three-time world champion and two-time EHF EURO winner; he won his latest European title with Denmark at the Men’s EHF EURO 2026.
