The Peninsula
Asian handball champions Qatar started their qualifying campaign for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games on a high note, thrashing Hong Kong 49-14 yesterday.
On the opening day of the AHF Men’s Asian qualification event at the Al Duhail Indoor Arena in front of a full house, Qatari players made sure they are the worthy continental champions as they dominated their opponents right from the start.
They led 19-6 at half-time before sealing win in a one-sided match.
Earlier at the same venue, Saudi Arabia defeated India 35-24 in the opening match. Saudis were leading 19-13 at half time.
The tournament sees eight teams competing for a single ticket to the Tokyo Games. The participating teams have been divided into two groups.
The Qatari team is drawn in Group A and will play Saudi Arabia and India next. The second group includes Bahrain, South Korea, Iran, and Kuwait.
Qatar’s next match will be against India tomorrow. The hosts will meet Saudi Arabia in their third Group A match on Monday.
While the champions of the tournament will receive a direct qualification for Olympics, the second-placed team will have to compete in the play-offs next April. It is the second time in a row that Qatar is hosting the Asian Men’s Handball Qualifiers for the Olympic Games.