L. MathekaDeaf handball hold championship with national team selection top priority
Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 16.11.21. | 19:30
Ten men's and six women's teams are expected to feature.
Preparations for the 24th Summer Deaflympics set for Brazil in May 2022 begin in earnest for Kenya Deaf Handball Federation who are set to select a team on 17 and 18 November when the national championships is held.
In its third edition, the two-day national championship set for Nyayo Handball Court will see the selectors come up with a 25-team provisional squad for both the men and women's teams who have already qualified for next year's Brazil Games.
Ten men's teams and six women's teams are expected to do battle for the national title. Unlike their Kenya Handball Federation (KHF) counterparts who have a national league, teams in the Deaf Federation are mostly County-sponsored teams and play in tournaments with a national championship organised by the national office.
"So far Nairobi is set to field both men and women's teams, Kilifi has a men’s team, so does Nyandarua, Mumias and Wajir. Turkana, Nandi, Kajiado, Mombasa and Kwale are set to field both men and women's teams," offered the Deaf Handball Secretary General (SG) Johnstone Mutua in an interview.
While football and basketball had to undergo an African qualification process where the women's football team and the men and women's basketball sides qualified, with no opponents to compete against, the handball sides had already booked their tickets after being the top-ranked African teams at the second World Deaf Handball Championships.
"We are hoping to have a successful championship where the squads will be selected then preparations begin to have them in camp early next year," added Mutua.
Soya award winner : Sports personality of the yr living with disability -Dickson Manyange - deaf Handball Team pic.twitter.com/1WCItOykK8
— kenya Handball Federation (@handball_kenya) January 12, 2019
The national championship was first held in April 2018, with six teams participating. The championship was also used to select a team that represented the country at the second World Deaf Handball Championship in Brazil.
"That team, despite having little resources it managed to finish in position five in the world and top in Africa. A remarkable achievement on our first attempt that saw our players nominated to for the Sports Personality of the Year Awards (SOYA)," offered Mutua.
The second edition was held in November 2019 with six teams taking part. The 2020 edition was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic that grounded sports globally.
