Bahrainis set for Hungary camp

TDT | Manama    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain’s senior men’s national handball team depart for Budapest today to conduct an overseas training camp in preparation for the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, starting later this month.

The camp will take place for over a week, supervised by head coach Aron Kristjansson from Iceland.

The nationals are scheduled to play three friendly matches during this period against European opposition, and then return to the Kingdom before flying to Hangzhou.

The travelling delegation is headed by Bahrain Handball Association national teams director Ismail Baqer, and it includes team manager Ahmed Al Najem, coach Kristjansson, his assistant coach Essam Abdulla, and the rest of their coaching and support staff.

Kristjansson has named 18 players for the camp, all of whom have already been training with the national team over the past few weeks.

They include Hassan Mirza, Ahmed Fadhel, Mohammed Mirza, Ali Mirza, Qassim Qambar, Hassan Madan, Mohammed Hameed, Ali Mahmood, Abdulla Ali, Mohammed Habib Ahmed, Mahdi Saad, Mujtaba Al Zaimour, Mohammed Ali Abdulredha, Hesham Issa, Adel Mohammed Abdulrahman, Muntadher Ebrahim, Hassam Al Samaheeji and Ahmed Kadhem.

None of Bahrain’s overseas-based professional players are joining the camp due to club commitments, but they are scheduled to join the group upon their return from Hungary.

They include long-time captain and star player Hussain Al Sayyad, Mohammed Habib, Ali Eid and goalkeeper Mohammed Abdulhussain.

Bahrain are in Group C for the men’s handball tournament at this year’s Asian Games, which is scheduled to take place from 24 September to 5 October.

There are four groups in all in the opening phase, each with three teams, except for Group D, which has four.

Bahrain are in the same group as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Group A features China, Kuwait and Thailand; Group B comprises Qatar, South Korea and Hong Kong; and Group D includes Saudi Arabia, Iran, Mongolia and Japan. Bahrain play the Kazakhs in their maiden assignment on opening day and then battle with Uzbekistan only three days later on 27 September.

The top two teams from each pool then move on to the main round, where the eight squads will once again be divided into two pools for another single round-robin from 29 September to 1 October.

That will determine the four semi-finalists, who will clash on 3 October; which will in turn set up the bronze and gold medal games on 5 October.

The nationals are hoping to do one better than the previous edition of the Asian Games in 2018, when they came away with the silver medals.

The Bahrainis lost to their counterparts from Qatar 27-32 in the final in extra-time. It was the second medal for Bahrain handball at any Asiad, having claimed bronze in 2014.