The Seattle Handball Club, a nonprofit organization based in Woodinville, held the 2026 Seattle Handball Cup inside the Walt Price Fitness Center at Everett Community College from April 3-5. The annual event brought in six teams this year, three men’s and women’s each, traveling from California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, Canada.

“Team Handball is an Olympic sport that has historically been underrepresented in the Pacific Northwest. Prior to the Seattle Handball Cup, no regular team handball tournament existed in the region,” said Simon Jaeger, the club’s representative. “The event was conceived as both a competitive tournament and a regional qualifier for teams seeking to advance to the US National Championship, sanctioned by USA Team Handball, the sport’s national governing body. … This multi-regional and international roster reflects the event’s reach and its appeal as a destination tournament for the Team Handball community on the West Coast and in Canada.

“Outside of the tournament, participating athletes and their guests had the opportunity to experience Snohomish County as a gateway to the Puget Sound and Cascade Mountains, furthering the County’s long-term goal of building repeat visitation and establishing the region as a recognized destination,” he continued. “The Seattle Handball Club’s long-term objective remains to establish the Seattle Handball Cup as an annual fixture in the Team Handball tournament calendar for U.S. and Canadian clubs – filling a critical gap as the only regular team handball tournament in the Pacific Northwest. With Team Handball growing nationally in advance of its profile at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and with the sport’s national governing body actively supporting the expansion of competitive opportunities, the Seattle Handball Club is well-positioned to grow participation, overnight visitation and economic impact in future editions of the event.”