HANDBALL – Bahrain's senior men’s handball national team have begun their latest training gathering under Swedish head coach Robert Hedin as they prepare for their upcoming competitions.
Headlining the Bahrainis’ major events in the coming months are the sixth Islamic Solidarity Games, which will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 7 to 21; as well as the 22nd Asian Men’s Handball Championship, set to take place in Kuwait City, Kuwait, from January 15 to 29 next year.
Hedin, who only took over as the kingdom’s lead tactician this past summer, has called up 26 players for the ongoing training period, which he has kicked off with local practices at Barbar Club.
The kingdom’s roster is spearheaded by long-time skipper Hussain Al Sayyad, and it includes top veterans Mohammed Abdulhussain, Mohammed Habib Ahmed, Hassan Al Samaheeji, Hassan Madan, and Hussain Mahfoudh; as well as Bahrain’s top young stars such as Mohammed Habib Nasser, Mujtaba Al Zaimour, Hassan Mirza, Qassim Qambar, Jassim Khamis, Mohammed Hameed, Mahmoud Hussain, Ali Redha, Ahmed Redha, Jaafar Abdulshaheed, Ali Mahmoud, Hesham Ahmed, Ali Al Asheeri, Hussain Abdulla, Mahmoud Jaleel, Mu’ayyad Samir, Abdulla Abdulkarim, Ali Al Madani, Al Sayed Mahmoud Al Falahi, and Salman Al Shuwaikh.
The Bahrainis are scheduled to hold an external training camp in Bosnia and Herzegovina from Saturday until October 30.
During this period, they will play two friendly games against the hosts’ national team and a European club, according to the Bahrain Handball Federation.
The nationals will then return to the kingdom to continue their final preparations before departing for the Saudi capital.
Bahrain are one of 57 countries from the Islamic world who will be competing in Riyadh. Handball is one of 23 sports, to be staged at world-class venues across Riyadh.
The Islamic Solidarity Games stand as the third-largest multi-sport event worldwide, following only the Olympic Games and the Asian Games.
Its previous edition was held in 2022 in Konya, Türkiye, where Bahrain’s delegation came away with an impressive 23-medal haul, including nine gold, seven silver, and seven bronze medals.
That placed them eighth overall amongst the 44 nations on the final medal table.
Meanwhile, Bahrain are set to be one of 15 senior men’s squads who will be competing in next year’s Asian Men’s Handball Championship in Kuwait.
The tournament will serve as the Asian qualification event for the 30th IHF Men’s Handball World Championship, to be held in Germany from January 13 to 31 in 2027.
The top four teams will punch their tickets to the worlds.
The draw for the continental competition is scheduled to be held today by the Asian Handball Federation.
It is scheduled for a 7.30pm start, Bahrain time, and it will take place in Kuwait City.
It will determine the groups for the field, which includes hosts Kuwait, South Korea, Iran, the UAE, Iraq, Saudi, China, Oman, Hong Kong, India, Australia, Jordan, Bahrain, Japan, and defending champions Qatar.
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