As the sun beats down on the beach courts in Kaohsiung, the fight for the 2009 World Games title is beginning to hot up.

 

The semi-final and play-off matches are fixed and with several reigning and former champion teams in the competition, the race for the title could be a close call.

 

ihf.info takes a look at some of the favourites ahead of the final stages of the World Games tournament.

 

BRAZIL

 

Brazil have travelled to Chinese Taipei with both men’s and women’s teams and have already stamped their authority on the tournament.

 

The women’s team, here to defend their title won in Duisburg in 2005, have a young team in the Games but with four wins and not a single shoot-out in the competition they could well be a favourite in the semi-final against Croatia.

 

The Brazilian men’s team are similarly impressive, and the World Champions from 2006 could also go all the way to the final. They also meet Croatia in the semi-final.

 

CROATIA

 

The Croats have a long list of beach titles under their belts.

 

They are the men’s and women’s reigning world champions and the men were crowned European champions just a few weeks ago in Norway.

 

“Many teams have travelled to Kaohsiung with new squads,” the Croatian team manager, Tom Lukic, told ihf.info.

 

“We have two very experienced teams and a definite advantage.”

 

Both sides will be hoping they can add the World Games title on Sunday.

 

ITALY

 

The Italians won their very first gold medal at a major international handball event in Larvik in June.

 

And the “dancing girls” have been celebrating ever since.

 

“In the end the celebrations had to stop,” said Italian coach Tomas Neukum, “we really had to start thinking about the next championship.”

 

They can look to their goalkeeper, Sabrina Porini, voted the best goalkeeper at the Beach Euro in Norway for inspiration.

 

Porini lives in Argentina but has dual nationality and flies back from South America to represent the Italians in major beach handball competitions.

 

PAKISTAN

 

With a loss in the quarter finals against Hungary, Pakistan are out of the running for men’s title, but they are fighting their own mini-title race in Kaohsiung.

 

“We won the gold medal at the Asian Beach Games in Bali last year and now we want to prove we are one of the best beach team in Asia,” said Mohammad Shafiq, Secretary General of the Pakistan Handball Federation and IHF beach delegate.

 

Pakistan have achieved unexpected success on the beach, also winning the Asian Beach Championships in 2007.

 

“We have little chance in indoor handball,” Shafiq said, “we simply don’t have the indoor facilities for training and matches but in beach handball we can really achieve international success.”

 

Pakistan’s players also have national honour to play for. They are the country’s only representatives in the World Games.