The IHF Trophy – Oceania for Under 21 men’s
teams will be held in Cook Islands from 31 July to 4 August, on the path to the
Intercontinental Phase of the IHF Trophy to be held in India later in the year.
The event will be contested between Australia, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Papua
New Guinea, Tahiti and New Caledonia, with the top nation qualifying for the
Intercontinental Phase.
Along with the handball competition, the
IHF will conduct coaching and refereeing courses from July 31 to August 4. The
coaching course will be run by Klaus Feldmann, while Javier Moure will lead the
refereeing course.
The IHF Trophy at the Bluesky Sports Arena
comes after Cook Islands successfully hosted the IHF U17 Beach Handball World
Championship – Men's & Women's Qualification Games.
“It [the tournament] gives the opportunity
for all those member countries to develop in playing handball, coaching, refereeing
and also officiating,” said President of the Cook Islands Handball Federation
Makiroa Mitchell-John.
The previous IHF Trophy – Oceania in
December 2014 was won by Tahiti, who defeated Australia 20:17 in the final.