The reigning national handball league champions, Police, have started training in preparation for this year’s African Handball Champions League slated for October 19-29 in Ivory Coast.

The law enforcers train daily, since Tuesday, at Kimisagara Youth Sports Centre.

According to Police head coach Dismas Turatsinze, the team embarked on intensive training early in a bid to do better than they ever did in the annual continental competition.

The six-time Rwandan champions finished at the bottom of a 10-team table at the 2016 edition of the tournament. They also had finished last in the previous two years.

"After winning the league and Carre d’As titles, now the attention is shifted to the Champions League, a tournament in which we have always struggled. We have to work hard so we can write new history,” Turatsinze told Times Sport yesterday.

"Our target is to get out of the group, and it is with no doubt that it’s going to be a tough call. However, I’m quite confident about our chances of doing well this time round,” he added.

In 2016, in Ouagadougou, Rwanda was represented by Police Handball Club, who finished bottom of the 10-team continental showpiece with a 0:6 win ratio. Egyptian giants Al Ahly won the title after overcoming Tunisia’s Esperance de Tunis 26-23 in the final.

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