350 children take part in Greece’s plan to improve handball

The passion for handball in Greece is getting bigger and bigger, and the Hellenic Handball Federation (OXE) has been trying to ride the wave and cater for the needs of the young children coming to the fore to develop their skills.

2023 will be a crucial year for handball in Greece, as the country will co-host the 2023 IHF Men's Junior World Championship, alongside Germany, for the third time in history, after having previously been the hosts of the competition in 1991 and 2001.

With an impressive drive at the senior level, as the men's team is trying to get back into the limelight and qualify for a major tournament for the first time in nearly 20 years, the focus has also been set on developing young talent, with regional tournaments for children born in 2008, 2009 and 2010 taking place in Portaria, Lamia and Aigio between 24 and 26 February.

More than 350 children took part in the regional tournaments. Aside from the matches they featured in, they underwent special training sessions specifically developed for their age group, with a focus on both the tactical aspect and the physical and psychological aspects of the game.

Moreover, video screenings – presentations edited by the Sports Excellence team of the "Stavros Niarchos" Foundation – were displayed to the participants, with topics like "Strength training in handball during childhood and adolescence" and "Upgrading performance by improving psychology".

A new regional tournament has also been founded, with players from Southern Greece born in 2010 taking part, which will be at the core of the new strategy for OXE to develop new players for the future of Greek handball.

Moreover, the children who gathered in Aigio had the chance to meet and greet the Greece women's youth national team (U17), who is currently taking part in the 16th Women's Mediterranean Handball Confederation (MHC) Championship (U17) in Nafplio.

They have also undertaken a course in nutrition, with a multi-pronged strategy tailor-made by OXE, trying to tick all the boxes to improve handball in the country at senior and junior and youth levels.

Photo: Hellenic Handball Federation