Bahrain edges Kuwait in Asian U-17 Handball Championship warm-up

Bahrain players preparing for action.

KUWAIT CITY, Aug 9: Bahrain’s U-17 handball team defeated Kuwait in the first of two friendly matches between the sides as both teams prepare for the upcoming Asian Championship, which serves as a qualifier for the World Championship and will be held in Jordan from Aug. 21 to 30.

The match was played as part of Bahrain’s ongoing training camp in Kuwait, with both teams using the encounters to fine-tune their preparations ahead of the continental tournament.

Kuwait’s U-17 team, coached by Croatian Ivan Dragic with national assistant Khaled Al-Mulla, previously held training camps in Slovenia and Croatia, where it played several friendly matches to improve its technical and physical readiness.

The coaching staff is using the final stage of preparations to correct mistakes identified during the friendly games and settle on the squad and lineup for the Asian Championship, where Kuwait faces a demanding group-stage schedule.

Kuwait has been drawn in Group B alongside South Korea, hosts Jordan, Syria, India and Iran. Bahrain will compete in Group A with Japan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Uzbekistan and Taiwan.

The two teams will meet again tomorrow in their final friendly before traveling to Jordan. The second encounter will give both coaching staffs another opportunity to assess their players, address weaknesses and finalize their tactical plans and lineups ahead of the tournament.