FORMER handball star, Dr. Chinedu Uche Azubuike, has lamented the poor state of the game in the country and called on stakeholders to come together to move the game forward.Azubuike, who is now a lecturer at the National Institute of Sports, said that regular competition and availability facilities would enhance the development of the game, adding that there was need to rally round the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), stay as one in the handball family and end bickering.'Firstly, what we need to develop the game is to ensure that we have regular competitions that will give players the opportunity to showcase their talents,' she said.'Facilities must also be put in place where competitions can take place.'It is sad to note that some states don't even have handball courts. Universities, where most of us who played for the country were drawn, do not even have playing courts, which is a pathetic situation.'She stated that administrators, who were interested in the growth of the game, should be elected into the HFN board, saying: 'We need good administrators to also compliment the other missing elements to move the game forward.'According to her, the administrators should also have the progress of the players at heart and initiate player-friendly programmes. She added: 'If we want Nigerian handball to go back to the top, we need to pay attention to players' development.'To achieve this, we must have administrators who are ready to render selfless service and not those who are looking for personal gains. If handball lovers want the name of the country to be heard globally, they must begin to push the game with all their might.'When asked whether it was not government's over-concentration on football that was hindering the progress of other sports, she said: 'It is not right that government is supporting football and leaving other sports to die. In developed countries, other sports are allowed to grow.'My advice to other sports federations is to look for ways to attract sponsors, which I know is also difficult.
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