Manama, January 23 (BNA) — The Organising Committee of the 16th Asian Senior Men’s Handball Championship, to be held in Bahrain from January 25 to February 6, has received a trio sponsorship boost from Al Salam Bank, Kuwait Finance House and Qatar 2015.

All three organizations have signed individual agreements with the organising committee of the championship, headed by Bahrain Handball Association president Isa Ishaqi, with 72 hours left for the continent’s biggest handball attraction.
Ishaqi said he was pleased with the support offered to the organising committee, which he described as one of the major pillars in making this Asian event a great success.
Meanwhile, teams continued to touch on Bahrain with Korea and Iran arriving yesterday (Jan. 22). Both teams had conducted their first practice session at the Bahrain Handball Association’s gym in Um Al Hassam. Japan’s delegation has already reached the island last Tuesday, while three more teams – the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan scheduled to arrive today.
There are 12 teams taking part in the 16th edition cup, which also acts as a qualifier for the World Cup to be staged in Doha next year.
Group ‘A’ pitted Bahrain against defending champions South Korea, China, Iran, Uzbekistan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, while Group ‘B’ features Japan, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Oman and the UAE,
Only the top three finishers will get a place in the world finals. Matches in the Asian championship will be played at the Khalifa Sports City in Isa Town and Isa Sports City in Riffa.
Next year will mark the second time Bahrain will be hosting the tournament. The kingdom also staged the event back in 1993 when the South Koreans were also champions.
Bahrain was one of three countries initially bidding for the honour to organise the competition, with the others being Iran and the UAE. The Emirati bid was withdrawn at the last stage, while Manama was chosen over Tehran by a selection committee from the Kuwait-based Asian Handball Federation.
The kingdom had already hosted the IHF Men’s Youth World Championship back in 2007 with 16 teams from across five continents competing. Bahrain have competed in 12 of the previous editions of the tournament.
They have never won the title, but clinched the silver in the 2010 edition which earned them their historic first-ever berth in the world championships, and a bronze medal in 1995. The 1995 edition was not a qualifying event.
Bahrain finished sixth in the last edition of the competition in 2012 in Jeddah, where South Korea won the title ahead of Qatar and host Saudis.
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BNA 0736 GMT 2014/01/23