The Kenya Handball Federation are keen to host the first Africa Zone Five beach handball qualifiers at the Buntwani Water Front in Malindi, Kilifi County, in June.
KHF Coast region technical director, Titus Kesekwa, said recent activities mean they have a platform to make a case for Kenya to host the qualifiers ahead of next year’s continental games.
He spoke during the second edition of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya beach games at Buntwani over the weekend.
A total of 19 teams took part in the games with Coast Queens (women) and Kilifians defending their titles.
“We have sent a request to host the first Africa Zone Five Beach Handball qualifiers scheduled for June,” said Kesekwa.
Zone Five features Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda and Egypt.
However, Kenyan teams have played at the last two African Championships. At the 2023 games in Hammamet, Tunisia, the women’s team finished second behind the hosts while the men’s team ranked fifth.
Beach handball debuted at the African Beach Games in 2019, where the Kenyan women finished fourth while the men were ninth.
In the meantime, the focus shifts to the Kenya Youth Inter-County Sports Association Games set for Buntwani on April 14-21.
About 12 counties have confirmed participation as beach handball makes its debut. “We had a meeting of sports officers and 12 counties confirmed entries. We expect more to join,” said Kesekwa.
He takes pride in the progress of the discipline, which will be a demonstration sport at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games with the Los Angeles 2028 Games as the end-game.
“We have had an exciting time nurturing beach handball. The sport is growing fast,” he added.
However, challenges abound. “Our biggest dilemma remains funding. Most of these teams are self-sponsored,” said Kesekwa.
“It’s also difficult to access equipment and training kit. They must come either from our federation or the international body.”
Meanwhile, Kesekwa believes his role at the Africa beach handball working group has been key to Kenya’s exploits.
“The referees in charge of these (Nock) games have, for the first time, been certified by the Confederation of African Handball (Beach). I also get information first-hand and an opportunity to vouch for support for our teams,” he said.
