MUSCAT: The Oman national handball team delegation reached Bahraini capital, Manama, on Tuesday, to take part in the 21st Asian Men's Handball Championship from January 11 to 25, as part of the World Cup qualification.
The twenty-ninth edition of the word cup will be held in three countries, Croatia, Denmark and Norway, during January 2025.
In Asian tournament, Oman team will play in the first group along with defending champions Qatar, Kuwait and Chinese Taipei.
Oman will start their campaign against Kuwait on January 12. In the second match, Oman will meet Qatar on January 14, and will conclude the first round against Chinese Taipei on January 16.
Oman's delegation was headed by Omar bin Mohammed al Balushi, member of the Board of Directors of the Oman Handball Association, along with Anwar al Balushi, team manager. The team is coached by Algeria's Mourad Bousbet and Nabil al Balushi is the assistant coach.
The 18-member Oman squad will include Asaad al Hassani, Abdullah al Balushi, Said al Hassani, Nasr al Tamtami, Hamad al Dughaishi, Asaad al Hassani, Muhannad al Zarafi, Mohammed al Dughaishi, Mahmoud al Wahaibi, Taher al Hadidi, Abdulhakim al Siyabi, Bashar al Hinai, Hassan al Balushi, Hudhayfah al Siyabi, Abdulaziz al Siyabi, Said al Hassani, Mohammed al Hassani and Azzan al Mashari.
The Oman team had started early preparation for the Asian Championship. They played 16 friendly matches in August, which served as an appropriate opportunity for the technical staff to get know the capabilities of the selected players and determine their technical and physical levels.
Dr Said bin Ahmed al Shehri, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Oman Handball Association, confirmed the readiness of the team to compete in the 21st Asian Championship. The target is to grab one of the qualifying spots for the World Cup in Croatia, Denmark and Norway, in January 2025, he said.
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