Ocheho Sets Target For Nigerian Handball Ahead IHF Nations Championship
The President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria, Samuel Ocheho has revealed the objectives for Nigerian Handball ahead of the IHF Emerging Nations Championship, and the Trophy Intercontinental Phase in March.
Nigeria’s U-23 Handball team are putting finishing touches to their preparations for the 5th IHF Emerging Nations Championship at the Package B of the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja.
The competition is set to hold from March 11th to 16th 2025 in Vana, Bulgaria.
The U-18 team led by Coach Emeka Nnamani have also started preparations at the Rowe Park Sports Center, Yaba, Lagos ahead of the IHF Trophy Intercontinental Phase which will be held in Pristina, Kosovo from 12th to 16th of March 2025.
Ocheho has outlined the federation’s objectives for the international competitions ahead of a busy month for the HFN.
He said: “We have always worked hard to ensure that we take our place back in the international handball community and it’s been an ongoing process all these years with physical dividends as shown in our successes in international competitions.
“In our continued push to do so, we are to send two of our national teams to top international competitions which we know will improve the lot of sport in Nigeria despite the herculean tasks which involve massive finances to do so.
“But we are not dettered and we know that this is the way to go for us to be of reckoning once again in the international handball community”.
In the U-23 category, Nigeria will begin their campaign against the United States of America on Tuesday March 11, 2025 and will play Azerbaijan the next day before taking on Moldova to end the first round.
Nigeria’s last two appearances in the competition was in 2019, and 2023, the team finished second on both occasions.
The IHF Emerging Nations Championship is organised by the International Handball Federation (IHF) for countries participating in the four year plan of the European Handball Federation, and some of the best ranked countries that didn’t qualify for the World’s Men Handball Championship.
Nigeria’s U-18 Handball team will be the sole representative of Africa at the IHF Trophy Intercontinental Phase which will be held in Pristina, Kosovo from March 12.
In their last two appearances, they finished second, and third respectively in 2019, and 2023.
Their first match is against New Caledonia on Wednesday March 12, 2025.
Ocheho Sets Target For Nigerian Handball Ahead IHF Nations Championship is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
