Kuwait falls short as Bahrain secures Asian Handball Championship bronze

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MANAMA, Jan 25: The delegation of Kuwait handball team is set to arrive at 1:40 this afternoon, marking the conclusion of their participation in the 21st Asian Championship for national teams, known as the “2025 World Cup Qualifiers.” The championship unfolded at the Khalifa Sports Hall in Manama, Bahrain, where Qatar and Japan contested for the title. Unfortunately, the team suffered a defeat in bronze match against Bahrain, with a final score of 17-26.

Despite the setback, Kuwait secured qualification for the World Cup finals scheduled from January 14 to February 2 next year in Croatia, Denmark, and Norway. This achievement comes after reaching the semi-finals alongside the teams of Qatar, Japan, and Bahrain—a milestone for the blue team after 15 years. Notably, the Blue Hand has qualified for the World Cup finals on eight previous occasions in 1982, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009.

In recognition of this accomplishment, as per the financial rewards regulations outlined in Resolution No. 42 of 2023, each player from Kuwait team will receive 5,000 dinars for qualifying for the World Cup, in addition to an extra two thousand dinars for each player for securing the Masters bronze.

A ceremony is planned to honor the handball team stars, along with players who clinched colorful medals in the recent Asian Games, as announced by the Minister of State for Youth Affairs, Daoud Suleiman Marafi.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of Burgan Sports Club, Anwar Al-Otaibi, extended congratulations to the Handball Federation, the national team’s players, and the technical and administrative staff for their well-deserved qualification to the 2025 World Cup. Al-Otaibi emphasized the club’s steadfast support for Kuwait in all external competitions, expressing pride in contributing to Kuwait’s national sports initiatives. He reiterated that lending their Algerian coach, Saeed Hegazy, to lead the senior handball team was a national duty and a service to Kuwait and its sports. Al-Otaibi affirmed the club’s commitment to supporting national teams, stating that the success of any external game is a collective achievement for Kuwaiti sports.

Khaled El Anzi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff

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