Kuwaiti player shoots as Kazakhstan player defends during the opening match.

MANAMA, Oct 20: The Kuwait handball team will play its second match today at the 3rd Asian Youth Games in Manama, facing Thailand at 6:00 p.m. in the preliminary round of Group B, which also includes China, the UAE, Iran, and Kazakhstan.

Kuwait aims to maintain its winning momentum after a dominant 42–26 victory over Kazakhstan in the opening match. The team relies on a group of promising talents such as Abdulatif Saleemin, Omar Madou, Abdulwahab Al-Mutawa, and goalkeeper Mohammad Farhan to continue their strong run in the tournament.

Assistant Secretary of the Kuwait Olympic Committee and delegation director Captain Ali Al-Marri praised the team’s impressive start and the players’ performance in their opening game. He noted that today’s match represents the next step toward advancing to the knockout stages and competing for a podium finish, commending the players’ high spirits and determination to showcase the progress of Kuwaiti handball on the Asian stage.

The 3rd Asian Youth Games, hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain, will officially open on October 22 and continue until October 31, featuring more than 5,000 athletes from 45 Asian countries competing in 26 sports and 253 events held across 20 venues.

Kuwait’s delegation includes 75 male and female athletes participating in 14 individual and team sports, including swimming, triathlon, athletics, badminton, table tennis, golf, equestrian (show jumping and endurance), handball, judo, teqball, taekwondo, muay thai, and jiu-jitsu.

Kuwait’s teqball player Nasser Al-Saqer advanced to the semifinals of the singles event after defeating Bahrain’s representative 2–0. Al-Saqer secured his qualification from the group stage with victories over Cambodia and Lebanon (2–0), despite losing his first match 1–2 to Pakistan.

Kuwait golf team manager Dr. Swaid Al-Abkal confirmed that golfer Salem Al-Abkal began daily training sessions immediately upon arriving in Bahrain, preparing for the competition that kicks off on October 23. He explained that Salem’s preparation included participation in the Gulf Golf Championship, where he clinched the gold medal, and the Arab Championship in Egypt, where he finished as runner-up.