Jakarta, 18 March 2023 - Qatar beat Vietnam 19-18, 19-18 to make it to the final of the 9th Asian Beach Handball Championships in Bali, Indonesia. In their sixth appearance in the final of the tournament’s history, the five-time champions Qatar will now take on Oman today.
The dominant Al Annabi have maintained an unbeaten run at this year’s Championship, having beaten title-holders Iran (23-18, 23-20), Saudi Arabia 2-0 (26-17, 24-17), Philippines 2-0 (17-14, 28-14) and South Korea 2-0 (23-17, 25-9) in the group stage where they topped the table with eight points.
Qatar’s next opponent, the Oman, reached the title-clash with a 23-11, 22-20 win over Iran who will now take on Vietnam in the play-off for bronze medal.
Incidentally, Oman, the 2004 champions, have finished runners-up on five occasions in all of which Qatar clinched the Asian title.
The tournament serves as a qualification tournament for the 2024 IHF Men’s Beach Handball World Championships.
