(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Despite going down to Bahrain 23-30 on Saturday, Oman managed to secure a berth in the main round of the 18th Asian Men's Handball Championship that is being played in Suwon, South Korea.
Oman began its campaign in the tournament with a solid 33-19 win over debutant Australia in its opening Group B match on Friday. Against Bahrain on Saturday, Asad al Hasani was the top-scorer with eight goals.
Bahrain led 19-8 at halftime.
With two points from the win on Friday, Oman squeezed into the main round as the second-best team behind Bahrain, which topped the group with four points. Bahrain had defeated Australia 33-10 on the opening day of the meet on Thursday.
A total of 14 teams are taking part in the championship that also serves as the Asian Qualifiers for the 2019 World Men's Handball Championship. The top-four teams in Suwon will make it to the worlds.
Oman has now been pooled in Group 1 of the main round that begins on Monday.
The other teams in the group are Iran, hosts and nine-time champions South Korea and Saudi Arabia.
Group 2 comprises Japan, Bahrain, UAE and Qatar. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals.
Oman takes on South Korea on Monday followed by match against the Saudis on Tuesday. It meets Iran in the concluding group game on Wednesday.
Asian youth meet in Salalah
The Oman Handball Association (OHA) has won the rights to host the prestigious Asian Men's Youth Handball Championship, which will be held in Salalah from July 8-20.
The decision was approved during the Asian Handball Federation meeting on the sidelines of the Asian handball meet in Suwon on Friday.
The biennial youth championship also serves as the qualifying tournament for the Youth World Championship. The last edition of the tournament was held in Manama, Bahrain, in 2016 where the hosts won the title.
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