HFI chief eyes handball high
Hyderabad, July 1: The successful conduct of the Asian Handball Men’s Club League Championship which concluded on Thursday has put a spring in the step of Handball Federation of India (HFI) president Arisanapally Jagan Mohan Rao, who is now looking to bring bigger tournaments to Hyderabad.
An Asian Championship involving countries is on his mind. “We are buoyed by the Asian club championship which was a huge hit. Another continental tourney, this time with national teams, will be a big boost to the game here,” he said.
“I am confident that the game will gain popularity, courtesy the talented players that are coming up the ranks. We have to produce more. The first steps in this direction will be taken through the Premier Handball League, which will be conducted in two or three months,” he said.
An academy for handball that is being planned in
We are working on establishing an international level academy with the best facilities like hostel, gym, swimming pool, sports science and rehabilitation centres — it will make Hyderabad a hub for handball in the future.
Hyderabad, will provide the impetus. “We are working on establishing an international level handball academy in Hyderabad with the help of International Handball Association, Asian Handball Association and the State Government. Equipped with best facilities like hostel, gym, swimming pool, sports science centre, rehabilitation centre et al, it will make Hyderabad a hub for handball in the future. In addition to this, we will set up some feeder centers in the main cities of the country. Setting up infrastructure is
part one. Second is the creation of a skilled and welltrained coaching system. Next month, we will conduct online and offline training programs with international handball experts regarding the same,” the HFI chief said.
Hyderabad already has had a headstart. “After I assumed responsibility as the president of HFI, we organised two national and one international level tournaments in the city with the cooperation of Central and State sports departments. This gave Hyderabad a brand image,” he said.
Expansion plans are on the anvil though. “In future, we will branch out to second tier cities of Telangana like Karimnagar, Warangal and Siddipet. They will be developed as venues for national level competitions,” Jagan said.
Jagan said the Handball Federation of India is determined to take the game to greater heights and that there is a dedicated team working towards it. “I may appear alone on the platform as president of HFI, but a huge system is working behind me. The results are there for everyone to see — our teams have achieved excellent results at the international level including the recent Asian Women’s Junior Championship. We organised a special handball camp in Himachal Pradesh and provided the best training to the girls. At present around 190 girls are being trained there, by veteran handball player Sachin,” Jagan said as he hoped for a bigger push for handball.