Bahrain face Kazakhstan to open Asian handball title bid

TDT | Manama                                                       

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain take on Kazakhstan in their first match of the preliminary round in the 21st Asian Men’s Handball Championship. The tournament is scheduled to be hosted by the Kingdom from 11 to 25 January next year.

Organised in cooperation with the Asian Handball Federation (AHF), it also acts as a qualifier for 2025 IHF World Men’s Handball Championship. Matches are set to take place at Khalifa Sports City Arena in Isa Town.

The Bahrainis’ game with their Kazakh counterparts will be on opening night, scheduled for a 7pm start. The full preliminary round schedule was released yesterday by the AHF. Bahrain and Kazakhstan are in Group D for the preliminaries alongside Hong Kong and the UAE.

The nationals face Hong Kong on 13 January in their second assignment, and then take on their Emirati rivals in their last pool fixture on 15 January. A total of 16 nations are competing in the Asian championship, with the top five on the final classification securing places at the worlds. Group A features defending champions Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Chinese Taipei.

Group B includes Iran, South Korea, China and New Zealand; and Group C is composed of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, India and Japan. Following the competition’s first stage, the top two from each group move on to the main round, while the remaining teams compete in the ninth-to-16th classification.

Following another round-robin in the main stage, the top two advance to the semi-finals, scheduled for 23 January, and then the gold medal match will be held on 25 January along with the bronze medal contest. Bahrain is hosting the continental competition for the fourth time in its history. It previously also staged the event in 2016, 2014 and 1993.

The Bahrainis have never won the Asian men’s title, but have claimed the silver medals five times in the past and also won the bronze medal once. The nationals won silver in 2010, 2014, 2016, 2018 and in last year’s championship. Their bronze medal was clinched in 1995. Qatar are the reigning champions. They have won the gold medal the last five editions of the tournament.