MUSCAT, August 27 - Oman beach handball team is clubbed with Brazil, Sweden, Denmark, USA and Australia in Group A in the first edition of the ANOC World Beach Games which will be held from October 12 to 16 in Doha. The second group comprised of Croatia, Hungary, Spain, Qatar, Uruguay and Tunisia. The draw ceremony was held in Doha on Tuesday at the Qatar Olympic Committee premises. The Sultanate team had booked their spot at the ANOC World Beach Games as they finished runners-up at the seventh Asian Beach Handball Championship and suffered a 2-0 loss against Qatar in the final game of championship during end of June. The Omani side claimed the second place and secured a berth at the IHF World Men’s and Women’s Beach Handball Championship in Italy in 2020.
The 12 teams will play at the ANOC World Beach Games with the league system for one round only. The top-two teams from each group will advance to the semifinal round. The other teams will compete for the placement positions from five to 12. Hamood al Hasani-coached Oman side will commence its first stage of preparation from Sunday with an internal camp. A mix of physical and tactical training sessions will be arranged by the technical staff to shape the national team players’ readiness for the main upcoming participation. Al Hasani’s boys will look forward to register an impressive record in the first edition of the ANOC Beach Games. The first edition of the ANOC World Beach Games in Doha will record a participation of 1,230 athletes from 90 countries in 13 different sports.
The Sultanate beach handball team has an impressive record at the Asian and international levels. Oman were the winners of the inaugural edition of the Asian Beach Handball Championship. Also, Oman boys had played in the Beach Handball Worlds for the first time in 2004. Later, the Sultanate team had registered regular presence since 2010 at the World Championships and the last participation was in Russia in 2018.
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