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Observer
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Observer
Oman blank Iran to claim second Asian beach handball title
MUSCAT: Oman blanked Iran 2-0 in the final summit clash of the 10th edition of AHF Asian Beach Handball Championship in Muscat on Thursday night to claim their second Asian title after 21 years from the first title which they won in 2004. Oman's Asaad al Hasani and his teammates delivered solid performance and managed to end both match sets for their side as the opening half concluded at 21-18 while the deciding half finished at 14-10 to seal their victory and lift the Asian title. Oman's goalkeeper Hudhaifa al Siyabi became the man of the match following his top show. Both Oman and Iran confirmed their attendance in the 2026 IHF Beach Handball World Championships which will take place next year in Morocco while Pakistan claimed bronze medal following their thrilling win over Jordan in the third and fourth play-off on Thursday at the sands court of Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex. Oman player makes a goal attempt. In the women's category, Vietnam emerged winners after finishing top in the group following their last match win against Philippines 2-0 as both teams clinched the two tickets to the 2026 IHF Beach Handball World Championships for Women. India ended in third place despite their 2-1 defeat against Hong Kong. At the end of the final match, HH Sayyid Azzan bin Qais al Said, Chairman of the Oman Golf Association (OGA), the chief guest, delivered the medals and trophies to the top winning teams in both men and women categories. Oman team captain Said al Hasani received the trophy from the chief guest and the celebration started in the sand court of Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex. The final ceremony of the Asian event attended by Dr Hassan Moustafa, International Handball Federation (IHF) President, in presence of Moosa bin Khamis al Balushi, Chairman of Oman Handball Association (OHA), officials from both Asian Handball Federation (AHF) and Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and top dignitaries. Iran players with runners-up medals. DREAM COME TRUE Oman head coach Hamood al Hasani said it was a historic moment for him as they managed to earn the title after many years from their first title. 'I am very pleased with the players performance in all the matches specially from the last game against Jordan in semifinals and against defending champions Iran in the final. Winning this title was a dream for us in this edition as we were fighting for it and it became true in Muscat. Special thanks to the players for their outstanding show despite the lack of preparations prior to the Asian tournament,' he said. 'Since last April, the players were in a busy schedule as they had played in the GCC Beach Games and then in domestic camps until the Asian event. I am very proud of them and now our focus will shift to have a proper plan for the 2026 IHF Beach Handball World Championships,' he concluded. Oman captain Said al Hasani receives the trophy. Oman's star player Asaad al Hasani said all the team members had affirmed prior to the final for delivering their tremendous efforts. 'I am very glad with our achievement of winning this Asian title against the defending champions. This year is a special season for us as we ended as champions of Gulf and Asia. This will motivate us to do much better in the forthcoming participation at the 2026 IHF Beach Handball World Championships. Our team is a mixture of young and experienced players and this will give us good chance to deliver our best in the global event,' he added.
Observer
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Observer
Oman set up Iran final in Asian beach handball
MUSCAT: Oman will take on Iran in a tight final clash of the 10th edition of AHF Asian Beach Handball Championship which will conclude on Thursday after intense competitions in the last few days at the sands court of Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex. The national team players are targeting for their second Asian title after the first one in 2004. The summit clash will kick off at 8 pm while the third and fourth playoff between Jordan and Pakistan will start at 7 pm at the same venue. Oman team, coached by Hamood al Hasani, are all set with confidence to regain the title since the first title which was won in 2004 during the inaugural edition hosted in Muscat. Oman team had arrived to the final in six times but could not win the title except in the opening edition. Oman team secured a slot in the final after a thrilling 2-0 win over Jordan in the semifinal while Iran beat Pakistan with the same result to seal their berth in the concluding match of the Asian event. Both Oman and Iran confirmed their presence in the forthcoming edition of the 2026 IHF Beach Handball World Championships. Coach Hamood al Hassani and his assistant Jaber al Balushi worked out on a strong tactics to deliver top match against Iran and clinch a new Asian title. The coaching staff prepared the team players for today's assignment against heavyweights Iran team which managed to lift the title in 2022. Oman player makes a goal attempt against Jordan. ONE STEP AWAY Speaking ahead of the final encounter, coach Hamood said:' We are just one step away from the title in our home country. The final against Iran will depend on small areas and the team with less mistakes will get the title. I am fully confident that my players will deliver their outmost efforts towards earning a victory and clinching the title,' he said. 'Our tactics was to focus in each game as final in this tournament and we managed to win all the games until reaching the final. In the semifinal against Jordan, I did some tactical shifts and positional changes which kept the opposition off balance, proving decisive in securing the win,' he added. Moosa bin Khamis al Balushi, Chairman of Oman Handball Association (OHA), appreciated team's fighting spirit in their semifinal triumph. 'Their performance was a true reflection of Omani grit and sportsmanship,' he said. 'We are proud of their qualification to the IHF World Championship next year and I hope they will now take the Asian title.' Al Balushi urged fans to show up in full force for the final: 'I am looking forward to see more fans who are acting as the heartbeat of this team and their energy will be vital as we chase our second continental title,' he concluded. FINAL CEREMONY The final match of the Asian event and concluding ceremony will be held under patronage of His Highness Sayyid Azzan bin Qais al Said, Chairman of Oman Olympic Committee in presence of Dr Hassan Moustafa, International Handball Federation (IHF) President, and other top officials. In the women's division, two matches are scheduled on Thursday. India will face Hong Kong and the match will kick at 5 pm while the title-deciding showdown between Vietnam and Philippines will start at 7 pm. Vietnam currently lead the standings with 10 points, followed by the Philippines with eight and both have punched their tickets to the 2026 IHF World Championship.
Observer
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Observer
Oman battle Saudi Arabia at Asian Beach Handball Championship
MUSCAT, May 10 Oman's national beach handball team will take on Saudi Arabia on Sunday in a tight clash at the underway Asian Beach Handball Championship. Oman team, coached by coach Hamood al Hassani, will eye to conclude group stage to be in the topper of group A following their two successive victories over Maldives and Hong Kong in the previous rounds of the Asian prestigious event. Both Oman and Saudi Arabia confirmed their presence to the quarters of the tournament as the latter also registered two victories against Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia. Oman are currently leading group A with goals difference than Saudi Arabia who are position as runners-up in the group. Today's clash will determine the group leader. The group (A) leader will meet the fourth placed team in group B. Oman and Saudi Arabia clash will take place 8:00 PM at the sand court of Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex. Both teams met recently in the GCC Beach Games which concluded last month in Muscat as Oman beat Saudi Arabia in two games. Oman team players are eyeing to secure slot in the 2026 IHF Beach Handball World Championships in Morocco as this Asian tournament acted as qualifiers to the global stage event. Oman Head Coach Hamood al Hassani said that he is fully satisfied with the team's performances till now in the Asian event. ' Our target is to claim group leader tonight and then focus on securing a spot in the final. Saudi Arabia is one of the tight teams in the group following their outstanding who in the last two games in the group. However, we managed to defeat them in last month and my team players are in good shape to deliver top match,' he added A total of six matches will take place across the men's and women's competitions on Sunday. In the Women's Matches, Hong Kong will meet India at 6:00 pm while Vietnam will face Philippines and the match will kick off at 7:00 pm. The women's event followed a double round-robin format, with the Philippines currently leading the standings after two 2–1 wins over Hong Kong and India. Vietnam also remains a strong contender after defeating India 2–0. In the Men's Matches, the Asian heavyweights Iran will Philippines and the game will start at 6:00 pm while Hong Kong will take on Maldives in the match that will start one hour later. India and Jordan will be in a tight clash at 8:00 pm while in the same timing Oman and Saudi Arabia will conclude the group stage matches. In the previous round, Pakistan defeated India 2–0 in a thrilling fixture while Saudi Arabia beat Maldives 2–0 to snatch their second straight win in the tournament. Iran edged Jordan 2–1 via penalty shootout after a 1–1 tie. In the women's bracket, Philippines beat India 2–1 and Vietnam triumphed over Hong Kong 2–0. Dr Hassan Moustafa, President of the International Handball Federation (IHF), will arrive in Muscat on Monday for an official visit. During his visit, he will attend the Asian championship matches beside holding an official meetings with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth (MoCSY) and the Oman Olympic Committee. Furthermore, he will meet with Moosa bin Khamis al Balushi, Chairman of Oman Handball Association (OHA) and Head of the Organising Committee.
Observer
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Observer
Oman blank Hong Kong to secure slot in Asian quarters
MUSCAT, May 8 Oman's national beach handball team secured their second straight win at the underway Asian Beach Handball Championship in Muscat following their triumph over Hong Kong by 2-0 in Group A on Thursday night. The tournament which is taking place at the sands court at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex acts as Qualifiers for the 2026 IHF Beach Handball World Championships in Morocco and Oman team will eye to secure one of the two direct tickets to the global event. The victory over Hong Kong took Oman to the quarterfinals of the Asian event. According to the playing format of this championship in Muscat, after the teams in each group have played each other, the top four in each will move through directly to the quarterfinals on Monday and subsequent semifinals are scheduled on Tuesday while the final on Thursday. Oman team will play their final group match on Sunday against Saudi Arabia in a tight clash. Oman team, coached by Hamood al Hasani, are one of the favourites in this tournament with the home support. Furthermore, 2025 marks the fourth time for Muscat city to host the event, following the inaugural event in 2004, the third edition in 2011 and the fifth in 2015. Oman head coach Hamood al Hasani affirmed that Oman team is developing from one match to another. 'We have the excitement and clear target in this event. The first focus is to deliver our best performance in the group stage matches. Then, we will prepare for the forthcoming matches in the next phases of the tournament,' he added. In the other group games, Philippines tasted their first victory in the tournament after two defeats against Pakistan and Jordan as they beat India by 2-0 in a thriller in Group B. Jordan earned another victory with a 2-1 win over Pakistan while Iran beat India by 2-0. In the women's competition category actions which started on Thursday, Vietnam started their campaign on a positive note following their victory over India by 2–0 while the Philippines stunned Hong Kong 2–1 after a closely contested match which ended in a 1–1 draw and then decided by a penalty shoot-out for Philippines.
