Rwandan champions Police handball club will have to defend their title in Kenya after the country was confirmed to host this year’s East and Central Africa Handball Federation (ECAHF) club championship. The 2020 edition of the annual showpiece is scheduled for November 2-12 in Nairobi. Police lifted their second ECAHF title – and the first since 2015 – after edging local rivals APR in the final last year. The tournament was held in Kigali. Speaking to Times Sport on Sunday, Police head coach Antoine Ntabanganyimana said: “We are informed that Kenya will host the tournament, and I believe we will be ready for the [title defence] challenge.” However, he also acknowledged that “Of course the decision to participate will depend on the state of the Covid-19 pandemic and international travels, but we are hopeful the situation will be better by then.” The regional championship attracts top clubs from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, DR Congo and South Sudan in both men’s and women’s categories. The domestic handball league – and all other leagues in the country – has been suspended since March and it will not resume until September. Asked about the fitness status of his players, Ntabanganyimana insisted that “They are all fit, and following a strict individual training schedule since the lockdown was enforced in March. We will not struggle a lot when the league starts in September.” It is expected that after five months without competitive action, team training will be allowed to resume in August, with championships across different disciplines such as handball, basketball and volleyball planning to restart the following month. “I monitor my players on a daily basis. Obviously they are not as fit they would be if the league never stopped. It will require some hard work to recover from the pandemic effects.”
