KUWAIT CITY, Oct 11: The delegation of Kuwait national handball team, is all set to depart for Doha. They will be participating in the Asian qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics, which are scheduled to take place in Doha from October 18th to 28th. The qualifying draw has placed Kuwait in the second group alongside teams from Bahrain, Iran, Japan, and Kazakhstan. The first group comprises teams from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, India, and China.

Leading the delegation is Qaid Al-Adwani, the Secretary of the Handball Federation. The group also includes Khaled Ghuloum, the treasurer; Faisal Siwan, director of the national teams; Abdulaziz Al-Zaabi, director of the first team; and a technical staff featuring coach Saeed Hegazy, his assistant Muhammad Masoudan, goalkeeping coach Ayman Al-Sheikh, fitness coach Issam Al-Lahyani, and physiotherapist Mahdi Bakoush, along with 18 players.

Kuwait commence the preliminary round matches, playing against Iran on the 19th of this month, followed by matches against Japan on the 21st, Bahrain on the next day, and Kazakhstan on the 24th of the same month. The team that secure victory in the qualifiers will earn a ticket to the Paris Olympics, while the second and third-place teams will have the opportunity to compete in the global playoff.

After finishing in third place and winning a bronze medal at the 19th Asian Games, marking their return to the podium after 17 years, Kuwait resumed their local training in the Martyr Fahd Al-Ahmad Center in Daiya. Before the Paris 2024 qualifiers kick off, Kuwait are scheduled to play a test match against the Saudi national team on the 14th of this month.

The team's technical staff has also included players Ibrahim Al-Amir, Hussein Al-Kandari, Mahdi Al-Haddad, and Muhammad Al-Erian as potential replacements for injured players during the qualifiers.

Hegazy, expressed confidence in the players' physical and mental preparedness, emphasizing their determination to build on their recent achievement of returning to the Asian podium.

Abdulaziz Al Zaabi, director of the first handball team, lauded the team's recent success at the Asian Games, considering it a new chapter in their competitive journey. He expressed the collective hope for the swift recovery of injured players.

In other news, Nasser Al-Enezi has signed with Khaitan for a season, having previously played for Al-Qadsia, Al-Arabi, Burgan, and Khaitan clubs.

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By Khaled El Anzi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff