24 April 2018—The Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur reported today that the Philippine under-18 (U-18 or Youth) team beat expectations and won the silver at the International Handball Federation (IHF) Trophy-East and South East Asia 2018 held from April 17 to 21 at the Panasonic Stadium in Shah Alam, Selangor.

Thailand won the gold medal during the finals held on April 21 with a score of 38-28. 

Earlier, the U-18 team won their matches against Malaysia and Indonesia to arrange the finals showdown with powerhouse Thailand, who also won the Juniors (under-20) crown during the same event.

The finals match was witnessed by Ambassador Charles Jose and Embassy officers and staff who cheered for the team.

“I wish to congratulate the team for their performance, given the level of competition in the region, and the training and support they receive.  We hope that with this impressive performance and more opportunities to become better, more attention and support be given to the sport in the Philippines,” he said.

According to Philippine Handball Federation secretary general Dr. Ernesto Jay Adalem, who accompanied the Youth and Juniors team, the delegation was only gunning for a podium finish, but the Youth team exceeded expectations by finishing second.  END