Kenya will host the forthcoming Africa Zone Five International Handball Federation,IHF,trophy men’s under 18 and Under 20 championship scheduled 24th-30th October 2022 in Nairobi.
The ten countries that are set to participate in the tournament include hosts Kenya, Uganda,Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia,Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Djibouti.
International Handball Coordinator and Kenya Handball Federation,KHF, technical director Charles Omondi emphasised the importance of the championship which offers teams from the sub-continent a place in the World IHF trophy finals as well as bolster the standard of the game.
‘The international handball federation realized that it was difficult for countries from developing world to earn slots at the world championship so they came up with a new pathway for the qualification, also during the championship the participating coaches will undergo training which will be led by Hungary’s Zoltan Marczinka, the referees will also be trained by the experts from the confederation. As Kenya also we are using the championship to offer an opportunity to our upcoming coaches’’, remarked Omondi.
Omondi also averred that the championship will be a yardstick to gauge how far the game has developed among the age group players in the country.
‘’We shall be showcasing what our programmes are producing because we have had a lot of courses and programmes for the youth, we want to see how far we have gone our prayer is that countries field players of right age so that we may know whether we are progressing or not’’, Omondi said.
Meanwhile provisional squads for both the Kenya under 18 and under 20 teams are expected to report to camp this week in readiness for the championship. The Under 18 team is made up of 36 players as well the Under 20 with the squads expected to be whittled down to 28 players days to the regional qualifiers.
‘’The team is expected to hit the training this week and we would like to thank the national Olympic Commitee of Kenya for funding and kitting the teams, the players especially the under 18 are all drawn from secondary schools which just competed in the national school games as well as the regional east Africa Secondary school games in Arusha, Tanzania’’, revealed Charles.
The bulk of players called to the U18 side are drawn from the national secondary school games boys handball champions Hospital Hill, Kamito Secondary school,Kimilili Boys and Musingu Boys. The U20 team players are majorly from clubs plying trade in the national league.
Mbooni Boys secondary school handball coach Gerald Juma and his Kanyawanga High School compatriot Andrew Owino have been tasked with handling the U18 side while National Cereals and Produce Board,NCPB, head coach Brian Mathews and Nairobi Water tactician Thaddeus Sangoro will lead the U20 technical bench.
The championship whose winner will represent the region at the continental IHF Trophy qualifiers will be played at Nyayo National Stadium and Ulinzi Sports Complex, Langata.