Fifth place at stake as Kuwait concludes campaign against Chinese Taipei

Kuwaiti player makes a goal attempt during the 19th Asian Junior Handball Championship in China.

BEIJING, July 26: Kuwait wraps up its campaign at the 19th Asian Junior Handball Championship in China today, taking on Chinese Taipei in the fifth-place playoff.

The Blues have produced a strong showing throughout the tournament, competing well against some of Asia’s leading teams. However, they missed out on a semifinal berth, ending their hopes of securing qualification for the 2027 World Championship.

Kuwait bounced back in the placement round with a victory over host China the day before yesterday, setting up today’s clash with Chinese Taipei. The team will look to finish its Asian campaign in fifth place and underline the positive performances it displayed during the competition.

The Kuwait squad featured Hassan Mundhir, Obeid Al-Shammari, Abdulrahman Al-Hashel, Hussein Boland, Salem Al-Mahmoud, Yousef Madouh, Hussein Mundhni, Mohammed Faisal, Yaqoub Hassan, Abdul Latif Salmeen, Hassan Rajab, Abdul Wahab Al-Mutawa, Hassan Boland, Saad Al-Khamis, Faisal Al-Enezi, Hussein Sami, Khairallah Abdullah, and Abdul Latif Al-Wahib.

The team is coached by Danish tactician Hani Jensen, with Saud Mufreh serving as assistant coach. Yassin Idrissi is the goalkeeper coach, while Yousef Al-Shahin handles team administration.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff