From 23 to 26 March, the International Handball Federation organised a Phase I course as part of the IHF Beach Handball Trophy. 40 enthusiastic participants took part in the seminar which was led by Mr Boris Mensing (AUS), IHF beach handball expert and coach of the Australian national teams. This 4-day course was a first introduction of beach handball in Papua New Guinea, a federation which joined the IHF at their Congress in Doha, Qatar in 2013.

 

Papua New Guinea is the first federation in Oceania to organise a course as part of this project of the International Handball Federation. The IHF has scheduled two further courses in the Pacific Region with American Samoa and the Cook Islands being the next hosts. The IHF Beach Handball Trophy is a 3-phase project which will culminate in beach handball competitions at the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017. The IHF has targeted three regions in the beginning (the Pacific Islands, the Caribbean and Africa), but the project has further potential to expand.

 

Besides staging the course, the IHF donated materials to the Papua New Guinea Handball Federation for the future development of beach handball.