Saiwan and Al-Zaabi receive the coach of Kuwait handball team.

KUWAIT CITY, April 19: The newly appointed head coach of the national handball team, Icelandic Aron Kristiansson, arrived in Kuwait. Faisal Saywan, the Director of National Teams, and Abdulaziz Al-Zaabi, the team's administrator, welcomed him.

Kristiansson was hired by the Handball Federation after the contract of the former Algerian coach, Said Hejazi, expired. Hejazi had returned to coach the Kuwait Club handball team. Kristiansson’s first challenge will be the 10th Arab Cup for men’s national teams, which Kuwait will host from May 4 to 12, coinciding with the International Handball Federation Week.

In preparation for the tournament, the team is set to enter an internal training camp in the coming days.

In related news, the Arab Handball Federation unveiled the logo for the Arab Cup, which showcases a half-handball surrounded by the colors of the Kuwaiti flag. The tournament's draw will be conducted via videoconference on April 26.

Nine teams will compete in the Arab Handball Cup at the Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Sports Complex, including host Kuwait, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Iraq, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE.

This year’s Arab Handball Cup marks a return after a long hiatus, with the last edition held in 2002. Egypt won the first two editions (1975 and 1977), followed by Kuwait (1979 and 1988), Tunisia (1986 and 1993), Saudi Arabia (1998), Algeria (2000), and Bahrain (2002). The Arab Handball Federation, established in 1975 and based in Riyadh, now includes 16 Arab federations.

Meanwhile, in the Premier League, Kuwait Club strengthened its position at the top of the standings with a 39-30 win over Burgan in the fifth round. Sulaibikhat also marked their first Premier League victory, overcoming Al-Arabi 33-27. Salmiya handed Kazma their second defeat, winning 24-20.

The standings now show Kuwait Club leading with a perfect score of 36 points, followed by Burgan with 29 points, Kazma with 25, Salmiya with 21, and Sulaibikhat in fifth with 18 points, ahead of Al-Arabi on goal difference.

The Second Division will kick off today, with the following matches: Burgan vs. Salmiya at 4:30 pm, Kuwait Club vs. Sulaibikhat at 6:00 pm, and Kazma vs. Al-Arabi at 7:30 pm.

In the First Division, Al-Qadsiya took the league lead with a 31-29 victory over Al-Qurain, while Khaitan triumphed 40-32 over Al-Yarmouk. Al-Qadsiya now sits at the top with 24 points, while Al-Qurain follows in second with 20 points, edging out Al-Nasr on goal difference. Al-Fahaheel and Khaitan each have 12 points, Al-Yarmouk has 6 points, Al-Tadamon has 3, and Al-Sahel remains without points.

By Khaled Al-Enezi

Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff