16-05-2025
‘Handball at school' initiative to promote handball at grassroots
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Lucknow:
International Handball Federation
(IHF) and
Asian Handball Federation
(AHF) will launch 'Handball at school' project to create centres in cities and implement initiatives for grassroots development programme for players and coaches in India.
This decision was made during a meeting recently held in Oman after the conclusion of the 10th Beach Asian Handball Championship 2025. The meeting was attended by IHF president Hassan Moustafa, vice-president Al Badar, and AHF secretary general Mohammad Shafiq.
Talking to TOI, executive director of Handball Association of India (HAI) Anandeshwar Pandey said, "I proposed a few initiatives for grassroots development programs for players and coaches in India, and special programs for women training.
IHF and AHF accepted the proposal. It was decided in the meeting that IHF and AHF would prioritize several initiatives in India."
"A 'Handball at School' programme will be launched in which centres will be set up HAI will be provided with taraflex, goalposts, and other resources to promote handball in schools across the country. A coach development programme will be implemented in India, where Indian coaches will be informed about modern training methods to nurture new talent," he said.
"We are hosting international events in India. Recently, we organized the Men's Youth and Junior (Continental Phase-Asia) Trophy in Lucknow. We will host Wheelchair Handball Championship-2026 in Lucknow," Pandey said.
"The initiative will strengthen handball at the grassroots. It will not only reinforce the sports infrastructure but also give handball a new and powerful dimension in India, enabling players to perform better. Recently, our women Indian handball team bagged bronze in 10th Beach Asian Handball Championship-2025 at Oman," he added.
