Tokyo, Japan, July 19, 2021: Bahrain’s men’s handball team have arrived in Tokyo ready to make the most of their historic debut appearance at the Olympic Games.
The 16-strong squad are the first athletes from the Kingdom to have qualified for a team sport at any Olympic Games. Following their arrival at the Japanese capital, Bahrain will play a warm-up game against Argentina as part of the final lead-up to the competition.
“The Olympic Games are the biggest sporting event in the world and something that athletes and coaches work hard on to not only participate but to win medals too,” said Bahrain’s head coach Aron Kristjansson.
Bahrain, who are in Group B, qualified for the Tokyo Olympics after winning the Men’s Asian Qualification Tournament in Doha, Qatar in October 2019, after defeating Korea 34-29 in the final.
Bahrain open their campaign on Saturday, July 24 against Sweden before taking on Portugal on July 26. They then face reigning World and Olympic champions Denmark two days later.
The team, which is led by Hassan Al Sayyad, then take on hosts Japan on July 30 before finishing their preliminary round games against Egypt on August 1.
Group A comprises Norway, France, Germany, Brazil, Spain and Argentina. The top four in each group move on to the knockout quarterfinals.
Bahrain is taking part in five sports at the Tokyo Olympics. The other four are athletics, boxing, shooting and swimming. The Opening Ceremony of the Games is on Friday, July 23.
Source: The Daily Tribune
