Handball : Innovations for the new season

After more than 18 month of stoppage of activities, the sporting season is now launched at the level of Beninese handball. Information provided by the president of the Beninese Handball Federation (FBH), Antoine Bonou at a press conference held on Friday 14 May 2021, at the Marius Francisco auditorium of the National Olympic and Sports Committee of Benin, located at the General Mathieu Kérékou Friendship stadium in Kouhounou.

The Beninese handball sports season has already been open since Saturday 15 last may. The particularity of this exercise 2021, according to President Antoine Bonou is that it opens with pointed reforms for the happiness of the discipline. “The handball season opens with reforms that bode well for a better tomorrow”, he declared before adding “Since our General Assembly in Ouidah where we received the agreement of the delegates. Which allowed us to make significant efforts to achieve what we came to present to you”. Since, will he explain, “sports Benin is in a dynamic of professionalization and handball cannot remain on the sidelines”.

This is why he announced that the professional championship will start on 19 June 2021 in two steps with 7 men's clubs and 4 professional women's clubs in compliance with the new reforms. “A first so-called zonal phase which will allow the athletes to get into shape and a second phase which will take place linearly in two national phases 1 et 2 », said Antoine Bonou. And given that the number of clubs, in principle who should take part will be eight and that currently, there are only seven registered, no club will come down for the moment. “If at the end of the amateur championship, the champion club meets the criteria, it will be mounted to fill the void”, added the First Vice-President, Serge Acakpo

On the occasion of the meeting of the National Executive Bureau which took place this Saturday at the headquarters of the party, President Antoine Bonou announced that Beninese handball enthusiasts will be entitled to several age category championships, especially the youngest. “The novelty will be the junior tournament because our major concern is to prepare the next generation. », he confided while specifying “Our major concern is to lead a full season to strengthen our teams so that they are able to return to African competitions”. To believe, the President of the Beninese Handball Federation, for all national phases, it has opted for grouped formulas to stick to the realities of the African championships but all arrangements will be taken each time to best manage the health aspect in this context of covid 19.  “All the lights are green so that the activities can take off and be held not only rigorously but also that all the championships end in August to make way for the cups in particular, the Benin Cup and the different challenges », he asserted.

The inaugural meeting

The sports season 2021 Beninese handball was actually launched this Saturday 15 May 2021 in the historic city of Abomey with an inaugural meeting which pitted the cadets of Flambeau d’Abomey against those of Synergie Hbc. A match won by the Synergie boys with a score of 32 against 23. “It’s an exciting match despite the score at the finish. Which means that the players have not lost control despite this cessation of activities due to the coronavirus”, said Serge Akakpo, first Vice-President of the Beninese Handball Federation. ” We wanted to launch the new season with a meeting of the cadets because they are the next generation of tomorrow”, he specified.

Note that the executive committee of the Beninese Handball Federation took the opportunity of the launch of the season to hand over competition balls to the central league teams involved in the various championships while granting a subsidy to the office of this league as part of the organization of the departmental phases.

Taking advantage of this media release, like she did 24 h rather during the press conference, the Beninese Handball Federation has provided sports equipment and subsidies to the leagues to enable them to carry out their activities.

Damien TOLOMISSI