(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
Qatar's Al Sadd's will be looking to make the best out of home advantage as IHF Super Globe Handball Tournament begins in Doha today.
Al Sadd are aiming to replicate their past form in the tournament, which they won in 2002 and came second twice in 2010 and 2014, and third in 2012.
Al Sadd's Algerian head coach Chouaib Kafi yesterday named a 16-man squad for the tournament, which features the likes of defending champions Fuchse Berlin of Germany, African runner-ups Esperance Sportive de Tunis, Asian runner-ups Naft and Gaz Gachsaran, Oceania champions Sydney University, Pan American Club Championship winners EC Pinheiros of Brazil, European champions RK Vardar and Barcelona, along with the hosts Al Sadd.
The hosts open their campaign against Sydney University at the Duhail Complex today.
Also today, Esperance Sportive take on Barcelona, Macedonian side RK Vardar play Iran's Naft and Gaz Gachsaran, and defending champions Fuchse Berlin of Germany take on Pan American champions EC Pinheiros of Brazil.
The semifinals are scheduled for August 26 before the final match which takes place two days later.
The organising committee for the event, headed by Qatar Handball Association (QHA) President Ahmad Al Shaibi also include Mohamed Al Jaber, Tournament Director, Khalifa Tayseer alJassim, Head of Sports Operations Committee, Adel Al Anzi, Head of Financial Committee, Hamad Mesfer Al Naimi, Head of Support and Coordination Committee, Nasser Shahin Al Kaabi, Head of Protocol Committee and Abdullah Taleb Al Marri, Head of Media Committee.
The tournament is being held in Doha for the eighth straight time.
Meanwhile, Qatar International Handball Tournament for youths will kick-off at the same venue on the sidelines of the Super Globe Tournament with the participation of Qatar, Oman and Iran.
Oman and Iran will contest the opening match at 10 a.m. before Qatar take on Oman at 4 p.m.
The tournament continues on Saturday when Qatar face Oman at 10 a.m. and Iran at 4 p.m. The three teams will take Sunday off before resuming matches on Monday with a match between Oman and Iran at 10 a.m. and then Qatar playing Iran at 4 p.m.
The tournament is part of Qatar's preparations for the eighth Asian championship next summer, which qualifies for the world championship in 2019.
QHA aims to prepare the national team in order to compete for the three world championship berths. The Maroon missed the last edition in Georgia after taking part in the first six tournaments in Doha 2005, Bahrain 2007, Tunisia 2009, Argentina 2011, Hungary 2013 and Russia 2015.
MENAFN2508201700630000ID1095769827
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.