PH handball gets a boost

Philippine handball got a lift from an Olympic champion coach from South Korea, who agreed to conduct coaching seminars for Filipino mentors.

The transfer of technology will be the key for the sport, the popularity of which has been steadily rising in the Southeast Asian region, according to Philippine Handball Federation president Steve Hontiveros.

Filipino coaches, he said, can find a wealth of information from Chung Hyung-kyun, who visited the country recently.

Chung, who steered South Korea’s women’s team to gold medal in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, met with Hontiveros and head coach Jana Franquelli on Tuesday to forge the agreement.

“He was impressed by the progress of the sport here and noted our developmental program,” Franquelli said of Chung, who is finishing a book on handball.

She said the Philippine team is planning to set up training camp in preparation for the 2022 Asian Games.

The date will depend on when the COVID-19 threat ends. The country won the SEA Games bronze in men’s beach handball last year.