ID :
389244
Fri, 11/27/2015 - 20:58
Auther :

Handball's National Team Qualify for Rio Olympics

Doha, November 27 (QNA) - Qatar's national handball team have qualified for Olympics for the first time in history, booking their place in next year's Rio de Janeiro showpiece thanks to a 28-19 dominating win over Iran on Friday in the final game of the Asian qualifiers. The Maroon topped Group B in the first stage of the qualifiers with 10 points from five consecutive wins over Uzbekistan, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Oman. In the semifinal, they defeated South Korea 30-26. Only one team reach the finals in Rio from the Asian qualifiers while the second and third placed play in the European playoffs. Qatar Handball Association (QHA) President Ahmed Mohamed Al Shaabi offered congratulations to the wise leadership on the national team's qualification for the 2016 Olympics. "The leadership continued to greatly support the sport in Qatar, which was key to Qatari success on the domestic, regional and international fronts." Al Shaabi said that the qualification changes the map of the game globally as The Maroon qualifies for the Olympics after becoming the first non-European side to reach a world handball championship final. The QHA president thanked Qatari clubs for their role as partners in the success of the national team and hailed Qatari supporters who backed the team throughout qualifiers. (QNA)

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