Dubai
Two-time defending champions HEI/VRI of Denmark will be among the five top European junior clubs that have been lined up for the Third Dubai International U16 Handball Championship at the Al Manara Sports Hall next month.
Winners of both previous editions, the HEI/VRI club from Denmark will be joined by ISK Szekelyudvarhely of Romania, Sandefjord TIF Handball of Norway, Marseille Provence of France and Forshaga Handball of Sweden for this annual tournament scheduled to be held from August 17-22.
The five European clubs will be joined by under-16 teams from Al Ahli, Al Nasr, Al Shabab, Al Wasl and the Dubai International Handball Club (DIHC) during the six-day competition.
“The Dubai International Handball Championship is part of Dubai Sports Council’s (DSC) strategy in exposing young handball players from the four clubs in Dubai to various styles of handball. We seek to achieve the same goals as the Hamdan U17 football tournament. The main aim is to create a ground for local UAE players to soak in finer aspects of the game while giving them international an experience and exposure,” Dario Menichetti, Championship Manager, told Gulf News.
“All four Dubai clubs have shown marked improvement in their standard of play with Al Ahli maintaining their form in the past two tournaments with third place finishes. Such a tournament can only empower the youth of these four clubs while improving their level,” he added.
The first edition witnessed nine teams participating and was won by HEI/VRI of Denmark, while Al Ahli, Dubai did well by taking the bronze medal. Eleven teams participated in the second edition last year, and once again it was the Danish side successfully defending their title with a narrow 24-22 win over German side Fox Berlin in the final. Once again Al Ahli led local teams with a third place finish.
One of the highlights during the handball championship will be a two-day coaching seminar involving participating staff. Participating coaches from Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Italy will be involved in running the seminar that is meant to update coaching staff at junior levels up to date on latest techniques and technology in handball. Titled ‘Sharing Best Practices of Youth Coaching Techniques’, the seminar will be conducted in two separate theory sessions at the Novotel Al Barsha along with a practical session at Al Manara Sports Hall.
