Handball Tournament: Flight delay forces Nigeria/Zambia match reschedule

By Tosin Omojola

The Nigeria versus Zambia match, initially scheduled for Saturday at the IHF Trophy Africa Men’s Continental Phase in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, has been postponed to Sunday due to travel delays.

The Nigerian National Under-18 Men’s Handball Team, led by Coach Emeka Nnamani, was set to depart for Addis Ababa on Friday from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. However, scheduling issues forced the team to reschedule their flight, departing Saturday morning via Ethiopian Airlines.

The match against Zambia will now take place on Sunday at 1 p.m. Nigeria time at the Ethiopia Sports Center in Addis Ababa. The team will then face host nation Ethiopia on Monday at the same venue.

President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Samuel Ocheho, commended the International Handball Federation (IHF) for adjusting the schedule in light of the flight challenges.

Nigeria’s Under-18 Handball Team, the defending champions of the continental phase—having won the title in Congo Brazzaville two years ago—also achieved a third-place finish at the Intercontinental phase in Kosovo.