【Handball】Former Japan National Team Player Contributes Internationally Through Handball

In April this year, the Japan Handball Association collaborated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' sports diplomacy promotion project to provide 20 handball balls to the Maldives Handball Association. The handover ceremony took place on April 7 in Maldives, where the Japan Handball Association dispatched Mana Oyama, a former center player for the Japan Women's National Team, "Orihime Japan," who had an active career. On the day of the ceremony, in addition to the handover, training sessions were held for the Maldivian men's and women's national team players and coaches, and an exhibition match was played by the Maldivian U-category men's national team. Ms. Oyama worked up a sweat with the Maldivian national team players and staff, offering various advice. Ms. Oyama also seemed to have felt a lot from the enthusiasm of the Maldivian handball community. Moving forward, the Japan Handball Association will continue its international contributions through handball. Mana Oyama's comment: "The reason I accepted this project was that I felt great significance in the initiative to donate balls used in Japan to Maldives. In addition to material support, I was attracted to the opportunity to directly contribute to the development of handball by providing on-site guidance, and so I decided to participate. Locally, I conducted sessions for the Maldivian men's and women's national teams, as well as the U-category men's players. Although it was a short period, the players were extremely motivated, and their strong desire to absorb as much as possible left a deep impression on me. Through this experience, I strongly felt the great significance of the Japanese handball community participating in such international projects. I believe that by sharing knowledge and techniques in terms of competition, as well as by promoting Japan's efforts and attitudes, new value can be created. At the same time, there is much to learn from the local players and environment, making it important to build a mutually beneficial relationship. Such activities not only improve competitive ability but also serve as meaningful initiatives that lead to international exchange and human resource development through handball. I hope to actively participate in these activities whenever opportunities arise in the future."