HANDBALL – BAHRAIN’S senior men’s handball national team lost their opening match in the 52nd edition of the Yellow Cup – dubbed the biggest handball tournament in Switzerland.
The kingdom’s representatives battled hard in a tough 28-32 defeat to North Macedonia late on Thursday night.
The Bahrainis are making their debut in the high-profile friendly competition, which also features the senior men’s squads of Ukraine and the host Swiss.
The Bahrainis trailed for virtually the entire contest but got to within a goal on several occasions and were behind 13-15 at the half. A Hassan Al Samaheeji effort levelled the proceedings at 18-all in the second half but North Macedonia managed to wrest away control. They extended their advantage to seven goals before Bahrain reduced the deficit at the end.
Bahrain are competing in this year’s Yellow Cup as part of their preparations for the 22nd Asian Men’s Handball Championship. The continental event takes place from Thursday next week to January 29 in Kuwait City, and it will act as the Asian Handball Federation (AHF) qualifier for the 30th IHF Men’s Handball World Championship, to be held in Germany from January 13 to 29 in 2027.
Bahrain play Switzerland in their second game before completing their tournament schedule against Ukraine.
In the Yellow Cup’s other fixture on day one, the Swiss outclassed their Ukrainian counterparts 38-27 in their head-to-head.
Bahrain head coach Robert Hedin from Sweden has a 19-player squad in Europe, led by inspirational captain Hussain Al Sayyad. Other players on the roster are Al Samaheeji, Mohammed Abdulhussain, Mohammed Habib Ahmed, Mohammed Habib Nasser, Hussain Mahfoudh, Jaffar Abdulshaheed, Mohammed Hameed, Hesham Ahmed, Salman Al Showaikh, Qassim Qamber, Ahmed Redha, Sayed Ali Basem, Hassan Madan, Ahmed Almaqabi, Ali Mahmood, Jassim Khamis, Ali Redha, and Ali Alasheeri.
Bahrain – gold medal winners from last year’s sixth Islamic Solidarity Games – are one of 15 nations from across Asia set to hit the court in the 22nd Asian Men’s Handball Championship.
They will be playing in Group B for the preliminary round alongside Iraq, China, and Jordan. Group A features defending champions Qatar, South Korea, and Oman; Group C is composed of the UAE, Hong Kong, India, and hosts Kuwait; and Group D comprises Iran, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and Japan, who were the silver-medallists from the previous edition.
The nationals open their campaign against Jordan on January 16, and then play China on January 18. They then complete the opening round against Iraq on January 20.
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