2 Oct 2012

Sport: Oceania handball officials aiming to spread word

11:13 am on 2 October 2012

One of Oceania's top handball officials says this week's Challenge Cup gets event in Samoa is an important development tool for the region.

Teams from Australia, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Cook Islands and Samoa will contest the six-day event, which began on Monday at the Faleata Gym.

The biennial event is made up of a men's under 20s competition and women's under 19s competition, with the winning sides to represent Oceania at a later global tournament.

The President of Vanuatu's Handball Federation, and Oceania vice-president, Yan Amos Dapang, says the Challenge Cup is a great way to promote the sport.

"To come and expose again handball within the region, to organise all the teams and our view is organising such a tournament like this creates opportunity for the region to come and experience the skills of handball, so that the future development of handball within the region and especially for all the youths that we're trying to get all of them to be part of the development of handball within the region."