Oman beach handball team gearing up for ANOC World Beach Games

Oman beach handball team players are sweating it out in their domestic camp which is part of preparations for the first edition of the ANOC World Beach Games to be held from October 12 to 18 in Doha. The seven days internal camp will not feature any warm up matches as the technical staff headed by coach Hamood al Hasani will focus on the fitness training through having two sessions including morning and evening training sessions. The national beach handball team will travel to Doha mid of next week. The Sultanate team players are conducting their training at the sands court in the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex. Physical strengthening exercises is one of the main targets for the coaching staff as the team was in the rest mode in the last period and since the last participation at the seventh Asian Beach Handball Championship in June in China. Oman team had finished as runners-up in the seventh Asian Beach Handball Championship and suffered a 2-0 loss against Qatar in the final game of championship end of June. The Omani side also secured a berth at the IHF World Men’s and Women’s Beach Handball Championship in Italy in 2020 for their seventh time in history. The experienced national coach opted 12 players for the camp including: Said al Hasani, Asaad al Hasani, Osama al Kasbi, Abdullah al Balushi, Hudhayfah al Siyabi, Hani al Dughaishi, Azzan al Mashri, Yasser al Harthy, Muhannad al Zarafi, Abdullah al Balushi, Hamoud al Mamari and Adnan al Wahaibi. Hamood al Hasani’s boys will look for a new accomplishment in the first edition of ANOC World Beach Games in Doha. Achieving a new victory for the team will be an additional encouragement for the team to perform in a better show during the IHF World Men’s and Women’s Beach Handball Championship in Italy in 2020. The Sultanate beach handball team has an impressive record in the previous editions at the Asian and international levels. Oman were the winners of the inaugural edition of the Asian Beach Handball Championship. Also, Oman boys had played in the Beach Handball Worlds for the first time in 2004. Later, the Sultanate team had registered regular presence since 2010 at the World Championships and the last participation was in Russia in 2018. The draw of the ANOC World Beach Games grouped the Sultanate team in a tough group with Brazil, Sweden, Denmark, USA and Australia in Group A. The second group comprised Croatia, Hungary, Spain, Qatar, Uruguay and Tunisia. The draw ceremony was held in Doha last month. The 12 teams will play at the ANOC World Beach Games with the league system for one round only. The top-two teams from each group will advance to the semifinal round. The other teams will compete for the placement positions from five to 12.