Antoine Ntabanganyimana has been in the handball field for 33 years—a game he says he is so passionate about and has committed his life to promoting it in the country. He has been Police Handball Club coach and Amavubi National Handball team coach for a number of years. Sharon Kantengwa caught up with him on his passion for the game.

Who is Antoine Ntabanganyimana?

I am 44 years old and married with two children. I was a secondary school teacher for six years before I joined Rwanda National Police in 2001 till now. I have been the handball coach since 2002 and an active member of the Rwanda handball federation for eight years.

Having played this game for such a long time, where can you say you derived the passion for it from?

Handball is a game I like very much. I started playing the game in 1983 in secondary school in Rubavu where it originated from, before I later became a coach in a secondary school in the Northern Province. I continued coaching handball teams even when I joined Rwanda National Police. I received an international certificate in coaching in 2007 from Tanzania. I am now the head coach for the Amavubi handball national team. I loved handball from childhood because in Rwanda, the game originated in our home area.

What have you achieved in this game?

We have won many titles, and we have never lost any game. Our team has won 29 different titles, among them, national championships, east and central federation, Heroes’ Day, Genocide memorial, Liberation Day trophies. I also won 12 titles while in secondary school. This year alone we have two titles. I was trained as a coach in 2003 and handball in Rwanda is now on a good level compared to other neighbouring countries. Last week, we beat the Uganda Evergreen national team. We always beat teams from neighbouring countries.

What are some of the challenges you have encountered?

Having limited time for preparing our players for international tournaments is a challenge. Also, clubs are not well-trained because of little funds for facilitation, making it difficult to prepare our players. The funds invested in handball are less compared to other games. The players are determined but the funding in the game is low. Coaches are not on the required level of competence. We would ideally need a coach for each age category, but we are unable to do that. That’s why there is little improvement in handball.

What is your take on the future of handball in the country?

Handball in this country has a good future because we have many emerging players who are determined, especially in secondary schools, which shows that the future of handball is promising.

What do you wish to be changed about the game in this country?

We ought to seek ways in which we can obtain money for funding for the handball teams for them to improve. Otherwise they cannot go far. Our team has unity and determination because it is an interesting game.