By: Cosmos Chukwuemeka Akisi
The Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN) have made plans to honour and celebrate members of the first senior men and women handball Nation teams at the grand finale of the ongoing Ardova Handball Premier League 2024 phase 2 in Lagos.
According to the president of the Federation Mr Samuel Ocheho, the recipients of the award would be players who were in the national handball teams that participated in the handball event of the 1973 All Africa Games in Lagos, Nigeria; the 1977 Ecowas games in Lagos; the 1978 All Africa Games in Algiers, Algeria wherein the country finished fifth in the first women’s handball event in the Games following their historic victory over Egypt and the 1979 Africa Men’s Handball Championship which was held in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.
Ocheho said the HFN decided to honour the players for setting the pace and laying the building block for Nigerian national handball teams as well as serving their country with determination and sweat .
“The board member of HFN decided that it was important and expedient to honour our first sets of national handball teams because they set the pace and served their country with blood and sweat in the national team which they started.
“These men and women have also given back to the sport that shaped them in different ways in coaching, mentoring and some cases sponsoring the games “.
“We believe they deserve to be honoured and the grand finale of the Ardova Handball Premier League 2024 is the best platform to pay kudos to these legends of the game in Nigeria” Ocheho said.
The legends will be honoured just as matches end at the Ardova Handball Premier League 2024 phase 2 wherein the winners of the league will also be unveiled on Sunday at the NIS Indoor Sports Hall, Surulere, Lagos.
