KAMPALA, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Djibouti and South Sudan have pulled out of the 2018 Africa Zone 5 International Handball Federation (IHF) Challenge Trophy in Kampala, Uganda.

"All eight nations are ready for the championship which will feature U-18 and U-20 players. Although they had been drawn, teams from Djibouti and South Sudan pulled out of the event," Sheila Agonzibwa, chairperson of the Uganda Handball Federation told Xinhua late on Sunday.

Originally the championship was meant to include a women's category, but the IHF decided there will be a separate championship next year.

According to Agonzibwa, the winning team in each category will qualify to face winners from the other seven zones in the IHF continental tournament in August.

She said the local federation has started rebranding and focusing on bringing in as many sponsors as possible to support the different tournaments at all levels.?