HANDBALL – Bahrain have named their final 18-player squad that will be going for gold at the 19th Asian Men’s Junior Championship, scheduled to be held from Wednesday next week in Chuzhou, China.
The kingdom’s junior men are one of 13 national teams taking part in the under-21 tournament, which is being organised by the Asian Handball Federation (AHF).
It also acts as the continental qualifier for the 26th IHF Men’s U21 Handball World Championship, to be held from June 23 to July 4 next year in North Macedonia.
Bahrain’s roster announced yesterday by the Bahrain Handball Federation (BHF) is to be spearheaded by young senior men’s national team standout Salman Alshowaikh.
The team also includes Ali Almahroos, Ahmed Al Samaheeji, Sayed Majeed Al Muhafdha, Abbas Hussain, Ahmed Eid, Ahmed Abdulla, Mahdi Jaafar, Mahmoud Jaleel, Hassan Saif, Sayed Ahmed Alfalahi, Mohammed Haitham, Abu Dhar Jaafar, Ali Sami, Mohammed Zuhair, Fadel Abbas, Haider Mohammed, and Hassan Khatem.
The nationals are coached by Bahraini tactician Hussam Madan, whose staff includes assistant coach and former national team star Jaafar Abdulqader.
The Bahrainis have been gearing up for the tournament with local training under Madan’s supervision.
Senior men’s national team skipper and Asian handball superstar Hussain Al Sayyad recently visited a practice session held at the BHF Arena in Um Al Hassam Sports Complex.
Al Sayyad spoke with the team’s players and gave them words of encouragement ahead of their continental foray.
The Bahrainis are scheduled to depart today for Dubai, the UAE, where they will play a tune-up game against their Emirati counterparts before flying directly to Chuzhou for the AHF tournament.
Bahrain are set to go up against Saudi Arabia, Oman, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, and hosts China in the preliminary round of 19th Asian Men’s Junior Championship.
Group B is composed of defending champions Japan, South Korea, Iran, Kuwait, Qatar, India, and the UAE.
Bahrain’s junior men have climbed the podium in each of the three previous editions of the continental affair, winning silver in 2022 and capturing bronze both in 2018 and 2024.
The nationals have won the gold medals once in the past, in the 1998 edition, and also secured silver in 1994 to add to their three most recent medal successes.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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