The Handball Championship of the 49th National Sports Festival concluded at the Indoor Stadium, Galle District Sports Complex, Dadella, Galle recently. After a series of exciting games, the Western Province men came up with a dominant performance to clinch the gold medal. In the women’s segment, Western women managed to edge out Central ladies in the hair-raising final.
Handball can be identified as one of the fastest sports in the world, though it is still an emerging sport in Sri Lanka. Normally 07 players are in a handball team, and further, a pool of 16 players participated in the tournament. Hence, a total of 256 players took part in this tournament. Sadly, Northern Province withdrew prior to the commencement of the tournament.
Men’s Championship
The men’s segment had some high-octane games which went down to the wire. After displaying a brilliant performance in the preliminary round, the Western, North Central, Uva and Central sides secured their spots in the semifinals. In the semifinals, Western Province and Central Province managed to secure their place in the final by posting thumping victories over Uva Province and North Central Province.
In the much-awaited men’s handball final, the courageous lads from Central Province performed at their level best to resist the challenge received from the Western Province. But the experienced Western side came up with a highly technical and highly skilled performance to outclass their rivals from the Central Province.
But there was not any fight for the third place between the Uva Province and the North Central Province. The game ended by giving a dominant victory to the North Central outfit, who managed to outplay their opponents in every department of play.
Results of the Finals
The Final: Western Province 41 – 33 Central Province
Bronze medal match: Uva Province 33 – 46 North Central Province
Gold Medal: Western Province
Silver Medal: Central Province
Bronze Medal: North Central Province
Men’s Gold Medal Winners – Western Province
Women’s Championship
The women’s competition managed to produce some exciting actions between the provincial sides. After a clinical display in the preliminary round, the Wayamba, Western, Central and Eastern sides secured their spots in the semifinals. After a couple of electrified games, Western Province and Central Province managed to secure their place in the final by beating North Western Province and Eastern Province, respectively.
There was an excellent display by the Wayamba lasses in the bronze final, and the Eastern Provincial side was not able to face the challenge. Hence, Wayamba lasses earned a well-deserved 13-point victory to clinch the title.
In the exhilarating women’s handball final, there was a swinging battle between Central and Western Provinces. The game dragged on to a nail-biting finish, and the Western Province ladies managed to take a slender lead over the Central Province ladies by just two points to secure the gold medal.
After displaying exceptional performances during the tournament, N. R. Madhushan of Western Province and H. A. R. D. Hettiarachchi of Western Province were adjudged as the players of the tournament from the women’s and men’s categories, respectively.
Women’s Gold Medal Winners – Western Province
Results of the Finals
Bronze medal match: Wayamba (North Western) Province 35 – 22 Eastern Province
The Final: Western Province 24 – 22 Central Province
- Gold Medal: Western Province
- Silver Medal: Central Province
- Bronze Medal: Wayamba (North Western) Province
The tournament was organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Department of Sports Development.
Players of the tournament 
