By Victoria Godfrey
The Prisons and JKT teams have been crowned champions of this year’s Nyerere Cup Handball Tournament, which concluded yesterday at the 95KJ grounds in Dar es Salaam.
In the men’s category, Prisons emerged victorious, with JKT finishing as runners-up. In the women’s category, JKT claimed the championship, while Ngome took second place.
Speaking to The Respondents Online, Prisons head coach Waziri Mssika attributed the team’s success to strong cooperation among players, coaches, and leadership, which helped forge a disciplined and cohesive squad.
“We have been away from competitive play for a long time, returning only last year. This year, we focused on strengthening the team. I gave clear instructions, and the players followed them diligently this became our key to victory,” said Mssika.
He added that this victory would motivate the team to maintain high performance in future competitions.
Ngome head coach Shazir Issa acknowledged that despite her team’s best efforts, luck was not on their side, preventing them from defending their title.
“We accept the results and congratulate Prisons for their well-deserved victory. As the saying goes, anyone who cannot accept defeat is not a true competitor. We will regroup and prepare stronger for upcoming tournaments,” she said.
Meanwhile, Michael Chibawala, Chairman of the Tanzania Handball Association (TAHA), praised all participants for their dedication and called on them to start preparing for future competitions.
“I commend the youth for their enthusiasm and participation, which has grown compared to previous years. We are grateful for a safe tournament without any major injuries. This success motivates us to continue organizing these events regularly,” said Chibawala.
He further urged young athletes to participate actively in future tournaments, emphasizing that healthy competition would help the technical committee identify talented players for national team selection and international representation.