Suriname's korfball side has been named as team of the month for March by the International World Games Association ©IWGA

Suriname's korfball side has been named as team of the month for March by the International World Games Association (IWGA).

It comes after they won the Pan American Championship title in Colombian city Cali with an undefeated record.

This earned them a place at the 2019 World Championships in South Africa with their exploits particularly impressive as they were only accepted a member of the International Korfball Federation last year.

Suriname is a former Dutch colony so has strong links to The Netherlands, the mixed team sport's superpower.

The Dutch have won nine of the ten World Championships held and the last six in a row, as well as all nine World Games titles.

Suriname won the Pan American title with an undefeated performance ©IKF
Suriname won the Pan American title with an undefeated performance ©IKF

Sharvien Sahai, secretary of the Suriname Korfball Federation and a player for the national team, was happy with the reward recognition.

"What great news that you have picked the national korfball team of Suriname as team of the month," he said.

"We feel really honoured."

The World Games take place every four years for sports not on the Olympic programme, and are governed by the IWGA.

American city Birmingham will stage them in 2021 after Wrocław in Poland did so last year.