The Qatari handball team was crowned champion of the 21st Asian Men’s Championship after defeating the Japanese team with a score of 30-24 on 25 January 2024 in the final match of the tournament that was held in Bahrain and qualified for the World Championship in Croatia, Denmark and Norway in the year 2025.

أبطال الأدعم لكرة اليد يحققون إنجازاً تاريخياً
بفوزهم بكأس آسيا للمرة السادسة على التوالي وذلك بعد فوزهم على المنتخب الياباني بنتيجة 30-24 .

💪🇶🇦🥇🏆@Qatarhandball

Team Qatar stars make history with a remarkable 6th consecutive Asian Handball Championship title after beating… pic.twitter.com/mVermzL30l

— Team Qatar 🇶🇦 (@qatar_olympic) January 25, 2024

Thus, the Qatari team maintained the title for the sixth time in a row, having won it in the past five editions in 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022, and deprived the Japanese team of winning the title, which it had been absent from since 1979.

The Qatari team made a strong showing that deserved to win, as it finished the first half ahead 17-11 before continuing its superiority in the second half and clinching the victory in its favour.

The Qatari team succeeded in reaching the continental title without any defeat, as it achieved seven victories and one draw in its journey, confirming its worth and deserving of the Asian Cup. The team topped the first group in the group stage with three victories over Chinese Taipei with a score of (33/26). Oman with a score of (28/18), and Kuwait with a score of (24/20), then it also topped the first group in the main round, achieving two victories over the Emirati team with a score of (25/21), and over the Iranian team with a score of (27/23), and a draw with the national team. The Japanese team won with a score of (28/28), and in the semi-finals, the Qatari team defeated its Kuwaiti team with a score of (33/26), and in the final match, it defeated the Japanese team (30/24).

The Qatari team had qualified for the World Championship for the tenth time after Portugal 2003, Tunisia 2005, Germany 2007, Spain 2013, Qatar 2015, France 2017, Germany and Denmark 2019, Egypt 2021, Poland and Sweden 2023. Obtaining second place in the “Qatar 2015” edition was the best result in the history of its participation.

The teams of Japan, Kuwait and Bahrain, along with the Qatari team, also qualified for the World Championships in Croatia, Denmark and Norway next year.

The Bahraini team won third place after defeating its Kuwaiti counterpart with a score of (26/17) in the third and fourth-place match that preceded the final.

It is noteworthy that the South Korean team holds the record in the golden record of the Asian Men's Handball Championship, having won the title nine times, followed by the Qatari team with six titles, then the Kuwaiti team with four titles, and the Japanese team with two titles

Source: Qatar Olympic Committee/QNA
Cover image credit: Qatar Handball Association

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Fareeha Imtiaz

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