Jharkhand’s men’s handball team made it to the 36th National Games in Goa by virtue of making it to the quarter-finals of the just concluded senior national championship.
The state outfit reached the last eight in the 49th Senior Men’s Handball Championship held at Malwa Institute of Technology in Indore, Madhya Pradesh between March 30 to April 3.
Jharkhand lost the quarters to Delhi.
Jharkhand last played the National Games held in the state in 2011. Eight top teams qualify for the National Games.
Expressing happiness, Jharkhand State Handball Association (JSHA) secretary Khurshid Khan said it was an honour to once again qualify for prestigious tournament.
“We last played the Games in Jharkhand in 2011. We didn’t qualify for the 2015 Kerala Games. Our team played very well in Indore but lost to Delhi in the quarter-final,” he added.
Khan, also the co-chairman Handball Federation of India’s technical committee, said the dates of the Goa National Games was yet to be announced but they were keen to prepare the state outfit in an adequate manner.
“We don’t want to wait for the Goa Games to be announced. We will shortly convene a meeting and discuss plans for coaching camp. We also have plans to play as many tournaments as possible. After all, National Games is a huge event and we want to put in a solid show,” the JHA secretary said.
The state association is working professionally under the leadership of its president Pradeep Kumar Balmuchu, a former Congress member of Rajya Sabha. The association sends its men and women teams of different groups to compete in national competitions.
The game of handball is growing in Jharkhand and has produced internationals, mostly from Jamshedpur.
Tata Steel sports wing runs a dedicated handball training centre at JRD Tata Sports Complex in Bistupur. Around 10 trainees of the cradle have found employment, mostly in the armed forces and railways.
The National Games in Goa was originally scheduled in 2019 but got postponed due to the general elections. It was re-scheduled to October 2020 but the global pandemic played spoilsport. With Covid making a comeback in the country, the showpiece event might see yet another postponement.
