Osvaldo Enrique Menéndez, in charge of the Chilean women’s national team, is with the squad in the city of Sao Paulo for a training camp. The objective is to arrive in optimal conditions to the South Central American Handball Championship to be played in Rio de Janeiro.
Osvaldo Enrique Menéndez has been working for several years with the Chilean national team.
History
After having been with the men’s team for five years and having participated in different international competitions, he will now be in charge of the senior women’s team.
- How did the appointment to become the coach of the senior national team come about?
I had been working as assistant coach of the Junior and Senior national teams, and I was also in charge of the Youth team.
In recent months, Felipe Barrientos, who was the senior coach, was involved in many administrative and organizational activities, so it was decided that he will focus on that area and I will take over the senior team.
- What is the condition of the Chilean women’s national team?
The conditions are good, the weak points have changed and modified and we are working to reinforce them.
At the moment we are in Sao Paulo doing our final tune-up.
The South Central American Handball Championship, which will grant places to the World Championship, will be played in Rio de Janeiro in November. Chile will be looking for one of those places.
Fine-tuning
- What is the preparation of the Chilean national team like and what will it be like?
Chile’s preparation in recent months has been very intense. Despite suffering some logistical problems such as overlapping with other national competitions, university games, and national league finals.
However, they have been preparing well, according to what is expected of the team for the South Central.
Depending on how many teams participate in the Tournament will be the available places for the World Cup, the more teams, the more places there will be and that changes our expectations.
- In terms of the players you are working with, are there any new players, how many of those called up play abroad?
There are no additions for the next competition, because that change, that transition was already made before the World Cup, at that time young players with very good projection were incorporated.
Chile has six players competing in teams abroad.
Menéndez affirmed that the main objective is to obtain one of the available places to qualify for the World Cup in Germany/Netherlands 2025 and also remarked that having a game that evolves and brings them closer to high performance is what they have set out to achieve.
Technical Staff
Currently, Osvaldo Enrique Menéndez and Sergio Peys are working in training as technical director and assistant. While a kinesiologist and a psychologist will be incorporated for the South Center, who will be appointed by the Chilean Olympic Committee. After the SCA Senior Handball Championship to be played in Rio de Janeiro next October 26-30, the players will have their break period. “The first part of the year (2025) the sport activity will focus on the development and promotion of the lower categories”.Menendez explained. Although, he added: “If they qualify to the World Cup in the South Central, after the second half of January the preparation will begin according to the possibilities of the context at that time”. If you like me Osvaldo Enrique Menéndez at the helm of the Chilean national team.you can also go back to read: Paraguay prepares under the orders of Marizza Faria.
Photos: CoSCABal / Germán Paez
By Loly Coria
