Handball is one of the most popular team sports in the world, particularly in Central Europe where it is played and watched with a tribal passion. That’s not quite the case in the US, but Melissa Zhang, the communications manager for USA Team Handball, is plotting the sport’s stateside explosion with its first Olympic medal at the LA 2028 Games the goal.

Zhang is also the third of four Global Sports Week Young Sports Makers to share her experiences with the podcast over the last few weeks.

During this episode, she charts her journey from studying psychology and political science at UCLA to discovering sports journalism, then carving out a career in communications. Zhang explains:

– How young sports professionals can express their views confidently with more experienced colleagues

– Why sport is a perfect vehicle for accelerating social and gender equity

– What her strategy is to boost the popularity of handball in the US

Listen to the full episode here:

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