Ondo State is here – almost everyone…

Ondo State is the Nigerian team who has had major problems on their way here. The team comes from the northern parts of Nigeria and after they finally got their visas they started their journey to Sweden on Wednesday night. They are finally here, or at least half the team is. The bus from the airport drove them directly to Heden, where they arrived just after eleven. Just 50 minutes before their first game. Now they will play four games today, but even after the long trip the guys seem to be ready to play some great games. We had a word with Tope Duduyegbe before the team stared their warm up.

Did you ever think weren’t going to make it to Partille Cup?
– No. It has been a lot of problems, but we knew we would make it.

But you are still missing some players…
– Yes, we have seven players that couldn’t take the same flight as us when we changed in Frankfurt, since it was overbooked. But we just found out that they will arrive at Landvetter around 12 a.m. We hope they will be here for our third game.

How has the rough journey affected you?
–  The wait is the worst thing. We took a flight from Lagos last night at 22.22, but we have slept pretty well, and we have already eaten twice today. We are ready for our first game.

You are going to play four games in today. Do you think you will manage?

– Of course, no problem. One of Tope’s teammates flex his biceps, to show just how strong they are. And they sure do look fit. And they hope they will repeat last year’s success. They reached the semifinals then, but they couldn’t stand up against last year’s champions Lugi.

If it is possible come down to Heden and watch Ondo State’s games or some of the other hundred teams’ games. The weather is great today and we have a fantastic handball festival here!