Kuwait’s handball stars train with energy and smiles ahead of tournament kickoff.

RIYADH, Nov 13: Kuwait’s national handball team will kick off its campaign at the 6th Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, when it faces Bahrain today at 2 p.m. in a Group B match. Group B will also see Saudi Arabia take on Iraq, while Group A features the UAE against the Maldives and Qatar against Iran.

Al-Azraq prepared for the tournament in two stages. The first stage involved intensive daily training in Kuwait, followed by an international camp in Tunisia, where the team participated in the Hashmi Rizkallah International Friendly Tournament organized by the Tunisian Federation. During the tournament, Kuwait played three challenging matches against Guinea, Iran, and host Tunisia. The team returned to Kuwait earlier this week to continue local preparations before traveling to Saudi Arabia.

Kuwait will face Iraq next Sunday for its second match, then conclude the preliminary round against Saudi Arabia the following Tuesday. The semifinals are scheduled for the 19th, with the final set for the 21st of November.

The Al-Azraq delegation is led by Kuwait Handball Federation Treasurer Khaled Taleb and includes team manager Abdulaziz Al-Zouabi. The technical staff is headed by Icelandic coach Aron Kristjansson, with assistant coach Heini Giverson, technical analyst Ayman Al-Sheikh, goalkeeper coach Marwan Maqayez, physiotherapists Mehdi Bekoush and Rai, and a squad of 16 players.