Over 2,000 athletes from seven countries lined up at the start of the 2023 Indian Ocean Island Games, which took place in Madagascar between 23 August and 3 September, with handball being once again represented between the 17 sports which took place in the competition.

Handball came back at the Indian Ocean Island Games after an eight-year hiatus and was thoroughly represented in the competition hosted by Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo.

Seven sides – Comoros, Mauritius, Madagascar, Seychelles, La Réunion, Maldives and Mayotte – took part in both the men’s and the women’s competitions, with the preliminary round delivering the four sides which progressed to the semi-finals in each competition.

In the men’s competition, Réunion, which was the most experienced side, recorded easy wins against Seychelles (44:13) and Mayotte (34:19) to progress to the semi-finals, where they faced Comoros. 

There, Réunion took another clear win, 40:21, sealing a place in the final, where they faced Mayotte, who delivered a huge upset to the hosts, Madagascar, in the semi-finals, taking a nail-biting 28:27 win.

There was no question about the winner, with Réunion taking an early lead and never looking back, to clinch a 28:16 and the gold medal, with their second win in seven days against Mayotte.

Hosts Madagascar bounced back in the bronze medal match, finishing on a high, with a 38:26 win over Comoros, to show something for their effort in the competition they hosted. Mauritius finished sixth, with a 31:30 win in the Placement Match 5/6 against Seychelles, while Maldives ended up on the last place of the standings.

Réunion made the double in the women’s competition, riding a four-game winning streak on their way to the gold medal, as they started off with a clear win over Maldives, 45:8, doubled up by a 30:14 win over Mayotte.

Winning their preliminary round group, Réunion were favoured in the semi-final against Comoros, which they duly dominated, as the 36:19 win helped them secure a place in the final.

In the other semi-final, hosts Madagascar were favoured against Mayotte, after sealing a 39:15 win over Seychelles, a 36:12 win over Mauritius and a 35:13 win over Comoros in the preliminary round.

They pulled no punches against Mayotte in the penultimate act of the competition, riding their own four-game winning streak in the final against Réunion, but unfortunately for the hosts, the opponents were much stronger and sealed the title with a 30:22 win.

In the bronze medal match, Mayotte took a 35:32 win over Comoros, with the same podium like in the men’s competition, only with different positions at the end.

Photo: Maldives Olympic Committee