Kuwait handball team begins final Japan camp ahead of Asian Games

Players huddle for a team talk.

NAGOYA, Japan, Sept 10: The Kuwait national handball team began its final preparations in Japan after launching training at its overseas camp ahead of the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, which run from Sept. 19 to 29.

Kuwait has been drawn in Group B alongside South Korea, Iran, Uzbekistan and Bahrain, with the team aiming to make a strong challenge and secure results that underline the status of Kuwaiti handball in Asia.

The Kuwait Handball Federation, in coordination with the team's administrative and technical staff, has implemented an extensive preparation program that started with domestic training before moving to overseas camps in Slovenia and Croatia.

During the European camps, Kuwait played several friendly matches against Istria Champions, Slovan, Trimo Trebnje, and Zagreb as the coaching staff worked to improve the team's physical and technical readiness and assess the players ahead of the Asian Games.

The squad comprises Hussein Dashti, Mohammed Buayabs, Hassan Safar, Abdullah Al-Khamis, Saleh Al-Mousawi, Saif Al-Adwani, Hamoud Al-Adwani, Aziz Salmeen, Haider Dashti, Fawaz Al-Mishari, Yousef Dhaif, Aziz Dhaif, Abdulrahman Al-Shammari, Aziz Al-Shammari, Mohammed Ali, and Hussein Al-Mutawa.

Kuwait head coach Aron Kristjansson said previously that the team has the potential to compete strongly, praising the contribution of experienced players and young talents throughout the preparation period.

Kristjansson stressed that producing a performance worthy of Kuwaiti handball's reputation is the team's primary objective and said the players are capable of achieving it. He also commended the efforts of the technical, administrative, and support staff in preparing the team mentally and physically and ensuring it reaches the required level of readiness for the Asian Games.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff