By Ntokozo Magongo
MBABANE – The Eswatini Under-18 handball national team started its campaign in the Men’s IHF Trophy Zone Six Africa on a high.
They beat Namibia 29-9 in their opening match on Tuesday (May 7, 2024) at the Sunrise Sports Club Hall, Zimbabwe. The National Under-20 team was due to play Zimbabwe in their opening match on Tuesday evening.
A handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the goal of the opposing team. A standard match consists of two periods of 30 minutes, and the team that scores more goals wins.
The country is represented by two national teams (Under-18 and 20) in the games that will also serve as the African Handball Championships. The games started on May 6 and they will end on Saturday.
There are eight teams taking part in the tournament and they include Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Namibia.
In the Under 20 category, Eswatini was drawn in Group A against Namibia, Mozambique and Zambia, while Group B comprise of Zimbabwe, Malawi, Lesotho, and South Africa.
The Under-18 team is in Group B, where they will face Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe while Group A is made up of South Africa, Zambia, Lesotho and Namibia.
The finals as well as bronze-medal matches at both age categories are scheduled for Saturday, 11 May.
Eswatini Sport and Recreation Council (ESRC) Media Officer Dumisani Ntiwane released the results yesterday. The team left the country on Sunday.
