DOHA, Oct 26: At the conclusion of their participation in the Asian qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Kuwait handball team secured the seventh position. The tournament, currently taking place in Doha, Qatar, came to a close with our team defeating the UAE national team 31-26 in a match determining the seventh and eighth places, with the Chinese team occupying the ninth spot. Meanwhile, the Indian team secured the eleventh and final place with a victory over Kazakhstan, ending the qualifiers. In other matches, Saudi Arabia and Iran vied for fifth and sixth positions, while Qatar and Bahrain, as well as Japan and Korea, battled it out in the semi-finals.

The participation of Kuwait in the Olympic qualifiers was a crucial step in preparation for their participation in the Asian Cup qualifying tournament for the 2025 World Cup finals. This event will be hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain from January 11 to 22, 2024. This date modification was made by the Asian Confederation to accommodate the game’s schedule, which was originally set from January 14 to 25, 2024. The draw for the tournament will be held on November 10 of the same month.
Earlier this month, the national team achieved a remarkable third place and secured a bronze medal at the 19th Asian Games held in China.

In other news, Al-Qadsia Club’s handball team, currently in an external training camp in Doha to prepare for the Asian Club Championship “Super Globe 2024 Qualifiers,” which will be held in Kuwait from November 17-27, faced a setback as their Montenegrin professional player, Vasiliy Kalogerovich, suffered an injury during a friendly match against Al-Ahly of Qatar. The “Yellow” team emerged victorious with a score of 35-26. Initial diagnosis revealed that Vasiliy sustained an ankle injury, confirmed through an x-ray examination.

The player is expected to be sidelined for a period of two to three weeks.
In the upcoming Asian Club Championship, Al-Qadisiyah will compete in the second group, facing teams such as the Indian Sai, Qatari Al-Arabi, the Iraqi Army, Lebanese Sidon Youth, and the UAE’s Sharjah. Meanwhile, the first group includes the second Kuwaiti handball representative, the Kuwaiti team, Bahraini star, Qatari Al-Gharafa, Saudi Gulf, Palestinian Salah, and the Indian Golden Angel.

Yarmouk Club have recently welcomed two international professionals, French player Leo Renaud and Icelandic player Ole Stefansson, to strengthen their first-hand handball team for the upcoming season. The signing ceremony was attended by the club’s president, Ahmed Al-Jarki, his deputy Hussein Al-Gharib, secretary Fouad Al-Failakawi, and treasurer Ahmed Al-Ansari.

Assistant Director of Handball for Musharraf’s Sons, Jarrah Al-Eidan, expressed optimism about the new additions, considering that the French and Icelandic professionals would provide vital support to the team in their pursuit of achieving outstanding results in the forthcoming season. He mentioned that the team commenced training in August under the guidance of national coach Khaled Al-Mulla. Additionally, the technical staff has been enhanced with the inclusion of coach Osama Al-Failakawi and administrator Mohamed Mutawa. Local players have also joined the roster, including Salem Al-Dosari, Mohammed Al-Attiyah, Abdullah Sanafi, Fawaz Al-Harbi, Abdullah Najaf, Abdullah Abdul-Jalil, Salem Al-Qaryan, and Khalifa Al-Mutairi. Al-Eidan expressed gratitude to the club management for their unwavering support and commitment to the handball team’s progress.

Khaled El Anzi
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff