Players preparing for the Games.

KUWAIT CITY, Nov 11: Kuwait’s national men’s handball team departs today for Saudi Arabia to compete in the sixth edition of the Islamic Solidarity Games, held in Riyadh from November 7 to 21, with participation from national teams across Islamic countries.

The team will kick off the main round against Bahrain on Friday, November 14, followed by a clash with Iraq on Sunday, November 16, and will wrap up group-stage action against Saudi Arabia on November 18 in Group A. Group B features Qatar, Iran, the UAE, and the Maldives.

The delegation is led by Kuwait Handball Federation Treasurer Khaled Taleb and includes team manager Abdulaziz Al-Zaabi. The coaching staff is headed by Icelandic coach Aron Kristjansson, with assistant coach Haini Giverson, technical analyst Ayman Al-Sheikh, goalkeeper coach Marwan Maqayez, and physiotherapists Mehdi Bakouch and Rai, alongside 16 players.

Kuwait prepared for the Games through intensive training in Kuwait, followed by an overseas camp in Tunisia, where the team participated in the Hashemi Rizkallah International Friendly Tournament, facing Guinea, Iran, and host Tunisia. The team returned to Kuwait earlier this week for two days of local training before flying to Saudi Arabia.

In other handball events, the 7th Arab Women’s Club Championship saw Qurain finish fifth and Salwa Al-Sabah seventh, with Tunisian club Africain claiming the title. Monastir (Tunisia) finished second, Hammamet third, Sahel fourth, Syrian club Qasioun sixth, and Nabaq eighth. Qurrain player Noura Mahmoud Al-Sharif emerged as the tournament’s top scorer.

In the league, Burgan drew 36-36 with Qurain in their fourth-round match, while Salmiya defeated Al-Nasr 35-26. Burgan temporarily leads the standings with six points, Salmiya is second with five, Qurain sits sixth with three, and Al-Nasr remains at the bottom with zero points.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff