Bo-Kaap teenager Mogamat Yusuf Samuel missed out on attending the Partille World Cup in Gothenburg, Sweden, despite being invited as a guest.

The 14-year-old Bo-Kaap Handball Club player was among a select group of South African players invited to the prestigious youth tournament but was unable to make the trip because of a lack of funding.

Instead of experiencing the event alongside some of the world’s best young handball players, Samuel had to watch the tournament from home as it unfolded thousands of kilometres away.

The event is the world’s largest international youth handball tournament, with about 1 400 teams from 50 countries taking part each year.

This year’s tournament was held from Monday 29 June to Saturday 4 July.

But Samuel is not giving up hope and will continue to raise funds hoping to attend the event next year.

Samuel explained that this was more than just a tournament.

“I love the sport, because it keeps me active. I was excited about going this year, but we will continue training so that we can be better by next year.”

His mother Nadia said despite not being able to raise enough funds in time, she is proud of her son’s achievement.

“I am so proud of him. He is the only one in our family succeeding like this in a sporting code other than soccer or rugby.”

Jamilah Staggie, club treasurer, said securing funding remains one of the club’s biggest challenges. “Finding funding and sponsorship is extremely difficult for us,” she said.

She explained that three players were selected to represent South Africa at a tournament in Zambia in May, and raising the money needed to send them was a hurdle.

But she said they managed to make it happen and send the players to Zambia.

She called on both government and the private sector to invest in community sport, saying greater financial support would help talented young athletes access opportunities to compete and develop their skills at national and international level.

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