Bahrain Handball Team Eye Strong Start at Home

The hosts arrive in form after finishing fourth at the Asian Men’s U-17 Championship in Amman last month, just missing out on a medal. Several players from that side return for this tournament under head coach Abdulkarim Al Dairi.

Bahrain’s 16-man squad features Qassim Sebt, Mohammed Haitham, Mohammed Taradah, Ahmed Ayyad, Hussain Qassim, Ali Sami, Mahdi Jaafar, S. Majid Al Mahfoodh, Abu Dhar Batim, Mahmood Ali, Ahmed Hussain, Karar Hussain, Ali Adel, Ahmed Al Samahiji, Haider Mohammed, and Ali Al Mahroos.

Format & Fixtures

Following the withdrawal of three nations, the handball competition will now be contested in two groups. Bahrain have been drawn in Group A alongside Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Maldives, and Hong Kong, while Group B includes Kuwait, Iran, China, UAE, Thailand, and Kazakhstan.

Bahrain’s fixtures, all starting at 7:00pm, are as follows:

- Oct 19: vs Hong Kong

- Oct 20: vs Maldives

- Oct 25: vs Jordan

- Oct 26: vs Saudi Arabia

The handball finals are scheduled for 30 October, the eve of the closing ceremony.

Busy Opening Day

Handball headlines the action on Sunday, but it will share the spotlight with several other sports getting underway before the official opening.

At Isa Sports City, volleyball (girls and boys) and badminton will serve off, while Pencak Silat and Kurash contests take place at Exhibition World Bahrain. The beach volleyball tournament at Sama Bay also begins tomorrow, along with kabaddi at the same Isa Town complex.

Venues and Preparation

Hosting the Asian Youth Games for the first time, Bahrain completed preparations in just 10 months, an unusually short window for an event of this scale that usually takes years.

More than 4,300 athletes aged 14 to 18 will compete for nearly 2,000 medals across several sports at venues throughout the country.

Key venues include:

- Isa Sports City – Athletics, Volleyball, Badminton, Kabaddi

- Khalifa Sports City – Swimming, Futsal

- Royal Golf Club – Golf

- Exhibition World Bahrain – MMA, Kurash, Pencak Silat, Boxing, Teqball, Weightlifting, Table Tennis, Freestyle Wrestling, Jiu Jitsu, Taekwondo, Muay Thai, E-sports, Judo

- NBH Loop, Equestrian Village, Sofitel Hotel – Cross Country, Triathlon, Cycling (Road), Camel Racing, Equestrian Endurance

- Military Sports Association – Equestrian Jumping

- Umm Al Hassam Sports Hall – Basketball 3x3, Handball

- Sama Bay – Beach Volleyball, Beach Wrestling