More than 25 personnel drawn from the Army, Navy, and Air Force have successfully completed a 10-day intensive Handball Officiating Course at the Military Academy Training School (MATS).
The course, held from June 15 to June 25, 2025, was jointly organized by the Armed Forces Training School and the Handball Association of Ghana (HAG). It aimed at equipping military personnel with the technical know-how in refereeing according to the International Handball Federation (IHF) and Confederation of African Handball (CAHB) rules.
The opening ceremony was graced by top officials from the Ghana Armed Forces and the Handball Association of Ghana, with Lt. Col. Daniel Oscar Opoku, Deputy Director of the Tri-Service Training School, serving as the Special Guest of Honour.
Participants were urged during the opening session to take the training seriously, make good use of the resource persons, ask questions, and take notes.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Lt. Col. Opoku charged the newly trained personnel to be professional and disciplined in their officiating duties; “as you are leaving here as qualified referees to handle the game, this also marks the beginning of your officiating ladder in handball. Your future will depend to a large extent on how well you expose yourself in the game,” he said. “Be ambassadors of the school and remain impartial in applying the rules in order not to bring the beauty of the sport into disrepute,” he emphasized.
The President of the Handball Association of Ghana, Nii Lante Bannerman, encouraged participants to share the knowledge and experience gained with others and work toward greater opportunities in the sport; “I believe this course will be a stepping stone for many of you to reach greater heights in your refereeing and coaching careers. I look forward to seeing you officiate in various handball competitions, both local and international,” he said.
The course was facilitated by Mr. Charles Mensah, Chairman of the PRC of HAG, and Mr. George Bankole, HAG’s National Technical Director, who served as the main resource persons.
Awards were presented to outstanding participants. Leading Seaman Asiabi Erasmus Kofi Mensah was adjudged the overall best student. Lance Corporal Asante Gloria and Leading Aircraftman Boafo Emmanuel placed second, while Miss Dazam Gifty, the only Defence Civilian Staff in the course, placed third.
