AL HINAI MEETS MEMBERS OF ASIAN

Rashad bin Ahmed al Hinai, Under Secretary of the Ministry of Sports Affairs, met yesterday with the main committee of the Asian Men’s Junior (Under-19) Handball Championship, which will be held in Salalah from July 15-25 this year.

The meeting — which was held at the ministry — was attended by Dr Said bin Ahmed al Shehri, Oman Handball Association Chairman, Khalifa bin Saif al Essai, Director General of Sports Activities and Hamza Eidros Director of Public Relations and Media and Head of Relations, Services and Stadiums Committee.

The main committee of the Asian Championship briefed the under secretary with the latest preparations and readiness of the complexes that will host the competitions of the championship. Committee members presented to the under secretary the latest preparations of the team and main training camps planned for the team until the beginning of the championship.

On the other side, the Under Secretary of the Ministry of Sports Affairs assured that there will be a follow-up on all the preparations prior to the starting of the competitions with sufficient time.

The under secretary instructed the committee to provide all the necessary support for the successful conduct of the tournament which is being held in Dhofar for the first time with participation of 16 teams.

Rashad al Hinai stressed on the importance of good preparation for the national team in an ideal manner, including internal and external camps. He wished all the best to the team and exhorted them to perform well during the competitions.

The 16 participating teams were divided into four groups. Oman is placed with Yemen, Iran and India in Group 4. In Group two, Qatar are clubbed with Iraq, Syria and Palestine. Defending champions Japan will play against China, South Korea and Lebanon in Group one. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Chinese Taipei are clubbed in Group 3.