Rwanda National Police (RNP) Handball Team kicked off their EAPCCO Games campaign on Tuesday, April 29, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with a commanding 39-29 victory over Kenya’s General Service Unit.
The Games bring together police teams from 14 member states of the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (EAPCCO) to compete in various sports disciplines.
The match played at Ethiopia Sports Academy in Addis Ababa saw the defending champions commanding throughout the game, with the 19-16 lead in the first period.
Police handball team coach, CIP (Rtd) Antoine Ntabanganyimana, expressed confidence in his side’s preparation and emphasized their ambition to win every game and lift the trophy.
He said: “Only three handball teams are competing in this tournament — Rwanda, Kenya, and the host, Ethiopia.
They will face each other, so we must win every match to claim the trophy.”Ntabanganyimana praised his players for their performance in the first match and urged them to maintain the same spirit and teamwork throughout the tournament.
“They performed well and we can’t afford to relax. We must bring this trophy back to Kigali.”
This is the fourth time that Rwanda National Police handball team has participated in EAPCCO Games. It is the most decorated team in the handball discipline with three gold medals.
During the EAPCCO Games held in Kigali in March 2023, Rwanda won nine out of 13 sports disciplines to emerge the overall winner of the 4th edition. (End)