Qatar to meet Morocco in World Schools Handball opener
DOHA, February 22, 2018 - Hosts Qatar will launch their campaign in the ISF World Schools Handball Championship with a clash against Morocco at the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena on Thursday at 1 pm.
The championship will formally begin in the morning at 10 in both the boys and girls' sections. Eighteen teams are contesting for the top honours in the boys' class, while 19 teams are taking part in the girls' section.
Qatar's team manager Ali Meddi said his team is ready for their matches in Group A. Other three teams in the pool are Denmark, Austria and Poland.
Denmark will also play against Poland, while France take on Bulgaria. Croatia will face Serbia, Czech Republic meet Romania and holders Turkey will meet Belgium. Brazil are pitted against Greece among the boys.
In the girls' competition, six matches are scheduled. Georgia play against Belgium at 10 am, Germany meet Romania, Poland clash with Greece, champions France take on Croatia, Austria face Serbia, while Brazil meet Sweden.
"We're ready for the championship, though there is some pressure on us being the hosts. All the players are in good shape ahead of the opening match Morocco," Meddi said.
"Our preparations could have been better if the players did not have schools and examinations. Still, the players worked very hard during whatever time was available for us. We played many friendly matches with senior teams in Qatar and I feel we're fully prepared for the championship," he added.
Meddi also rued about dropping two players from the squad."We had originally prepared for the championship with 16 players but the event rules meant that we can only register 14 players. It was a hard decision but we had to make it and I am sure the axed players would not take it to their heart."
The final squad consists of Hassanein Azi, Jassem Jabr al Sulaiti, Ahmed Abdullah al Kharousi, Bilal Masoud al Mararha, Talal Mohammed al Darwish, Abdulrahman al Mohammad, Hamad Mohammed al Saadi, Khaled Saif, Saif al Din Nasser Salim, Nasser Mohammed al Qubaisi, Ali Medhat Abdulhadi, Abdul Rahman Maher Hassan, Hassan Bashir Mohammed and Abdullah Mohammed al Sharqawi.
The officials with the team are: Khalifa Tayseer (Team Head and Assistant Secretary-General of the Qatar Handball Association), Ali Meddi Adaria (Team Manager), Head Coach Dr. Karim Murad, Assistant Coach Ahmed Nabil, Hammad al Naqib (Physiotherapist).
The opening ceremony will be held at the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Hall at 6 pm. The ceremony will highlight Qatar's heritage, culture and tradition. This will be followed by a march-past by the participating teams.
The organisers have planned a raffle draw and many surprise gifts will be given away to lucky fans at the venue. Besides, the organising committee has coordinated with many schools and colleges to bring their students and cheer the playing teams.
The organising committee has made arrangements to bring students and persons with special needs so that they can enjoy the matches.
The Technical Committee of the championship met in the evening on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Tom Christensen, the Technical Head of the International Schools Federation.
All the team heads and representatives of the organising committee technical committee met to discuss the details. For Qatar, Dr. Salah Salem, the technical expert of the Qatar School Sports Federation, and Ibrahim al Shahoos, representing the QHF, took part.
Share this News
Google
Apple
Facebook