KUWAIT CITY, Jan 7: The final training session for Kuwait handball team is scheduled for 11 am today at the Federation’s headquarters in the Martyr Fahd Al-Ahmad Complex in Daiya. Tomorrow, the team departs for the Kingdom of Bahrain to participate in the 21st Asian Handball Championship, also serving as the "2025 World Cup Qualifiers," taking place in Manama from January 11 to January 25. Kuwait is placed in the first group alongside Qatar, the Sultanate of Oman, and China Taipei.

With recent successes, including winning the bronze medal in the Asian Games in China and an impressive performance in the qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the national team aims to secure one of the four qualifying tickets to the 2025 World Cup.

Coach Saeed Hegazy, from Algeria, expressed satisfaction with the results of the European training camp, highlighting the team's physical readiness. Regarding the upcoming tournament, Hegazy stated, “We have the opportunity to qualify, considering the team’s performance and results in previous international tournaments, especially in the Asian Games.”

Acknowledging the challenging task ahead, Hegazy emphasized the team's commitment to avoiding complacency in any match and emphasized the importance of securing results leading to the semi-finals. The coach mentioned that the technical staff has formulated plans for the tournament, adaptable based on the opponent, with the overarching goal to showcase a performance everyone can be proud of and compete earnestly for a qualification card.

In other news, today at 7 pm, the draw for the General Handball League Championship will take place at the Union’s headquarters in Daiya. The draw will provide insights into the tournament system and the number of participating teams.

Khaled El Anzi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff