All arrangements to host the first ever Inter-School Handball tournament have been sketched out and accordingly the tournament will take place on November 3 and 4, at the D.S. Senanayake College Sports Complex at Wijerama Mawatha, in Colombo.
Over 1000 players from 40 schools are expected to participate in the inaugural handball tournament conducted by the Sri Lanka Schools Handball Association (SLSHA) in association with the Ministry of Education.
The SLSHA, which was formed four months ago, has conducted two workshops for schoolboys and girls under the guidance of a foreign coach. Five hundred participants had enrolled for the first workshop and the number had doubled for the second outing.
“Even the foreign coach was surprised to see a turnout of 923 participants for the second workshop. The game is very convenient to play and it’s the most popular game in Europe. It’s also the second fastest sport in the world and in Sri Lanka it’s growing faster,” said the founder secretary of SLSHA Kapila Pradeep.
Initially the SLSHA held both workshops for schools in the Western Province but for the inaugural handball tournament the organizers have eight teams participating from the Anuradhapura, Kurunegala, Matale and Galle regions. The tournament will hopefully see over 100 teams battle it out during the two days in the Under-15 and 19 age categories.
“The National Handball Federation while introducing the game right around the country had included some schools. It’s nice to see these schools show interest to take part in this tournament and display their skills. Our association is just four months old and what we have achieved during this period is quite rapid and satisfactory. By April 2012 we hope to cover all provinces of Sri Lanka and conduct tournaments for all age groups,” added Pradeep.
The SLSHA and Ministry of Education hope to promote the sport further with more coaching camps for the players and coaches. Soon after the first ever handball tournament the officials hope to conduct a workshop for the teachers-in-charge of the sport with the intention of converting into coaches. The inaugural tournament will be conducted on a league basis on the first day after being grouped. On the second day the teams will be divided into the Cup, Plate and Bowl categories and will be played on a knockout basis.
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