Kenya have been handed a tough draw in men’s handball in the 24th Summer Deaflympic Games scheduled for Caxias Do Sul in Brazil from May 1 to 15.
Kenyans were drawn in Group 'A' together with hosts Brazil, Germany, Serbia, and Cameroon while Group 'B' will feature defending champions Denmark, Turkey, Croatia, Venezuela, and Ghana.
Kenya will begin their campaign against Cameroon on May 3 before taking on Germany in the second game on May 7. In the third game, Kenya will face off with Serbia on May 9 and conclude their group stage games against the hosts on May 11.
Coach Jack Ochieng Onyango admitted that they face a herculean task but will target to qualify for the next round.
“Any team in the Olympics is not easy to beat but because we are number one in Africa, we are confident of prevailing over Cameroon. We will then try to beat Brazil and Serbia to proceed to the next stage,” he said.
The women’s handball will be played in a round-robin format. Defending champions Denmark will hope to defend their title against Argentina, Turkey, and Kenya. Coach Peter Mwathi said the provisional squad of 25 will be whittled down to 15 before the team departs to Brazil.
“We are targeting to finish within the medal bracket which is achievable. We want to do well at the Olympics,” he said.
In women’s football, Kenya will face Japan, host Brazil, the United States, and Poland. The draw was held in Switzerland on Wednesday night.
Kenya will field teams in athletics (both men and women), basketball (men and women), handball (men and women), and golf (men).
At the same time, the torch of the 24th Deaflympics is on its way to Brazil but first, it will stop in Paris, home of the first Deaflympic Games.
More than 6,000 athletes from about 100 countries are expected to take part in the 15-day event.
