UAE Youth Handball Team Falls to China in Opening Match of Asian Youth Games in Bahrain

The UAE national youth handball team kicked off its campaign at the 3rd Asian Youth Games this morning with its opening match against China in Group B. The tournament is currently underway in the Kingdom of Bahrain from October 22 to 31, featuring more than 5,000 athletes from 45 Asian countries competing across 26 sports and 253 events held in 20 state-of-the-art venues.

The UAE delegation is represented by 152 athletes — 107 male and 45 female — competing in 19 individual and team sports.

In their first match of the tournament, the UAE youth handball team lost to China with a final score of 40–25. The team is set to face Kazakhstan next on Tuesday in the second round of Group B, which includes China, Kuwait, Iran, Thailand, and Kazakhstan alongside the UAE.

Match Overview

The game started at a high tempo, with the UAE team managing to keep pace with their Chinese counterparts for much of the match. The players delivered a spirited and disciplined performance, showing strong determination and teamwork. However, in the final minutes of the second half, China widened the gap and secured the win.

Despite the loss, the UAE players demonstrated clear determination to deliver a performance that reflects the growth and progress of Emirati handball at the youth level. With four more group-stage matches ahead against strong Asian teams from diverse playing styles, the team remains focused on achieving better results.

Official Remarks

H.E. Saud Saleh, President of the UAE Handball Federation, expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance in their debut at the Asian Youth Games, noting the value of this experience in shaping a new generation of Emirati handball players.

“This participation is part of a long-term strategic plan to refine the skills of our youth and expose them to international competition against a variety of Asian styles,” he stated. “While the result today was not in our favor, the performance shows clear progress compared to our last appearance in the Asian Championship a year ago. We played against a strong team that had just returned from a major continental tournament.”

He added: “We have a promising generation of players who need continued technical and physical development. With the support of the UAE National Olympic Committee, the Ministry of Sports, the Handball Federation, and our local clubs, we will continue working diligently to prepare them to be the future core of our senior national team.”

The federation president also emphasized that the current youth squad represents a crucial investment in the future of the sport, praising their discipline on and off the court as a reflection of the efforts of both the coaching and administrative staff to uphold the values of Emirati handball on regional and international stages.

Games Underway

Today also marked the start of preliminary competitions in five sports — handball, kabaddi, kiras, pencak silat, and volleyball — held at various modern venues across Bahrain. These early matches set the stage for the competitive atmosphere ahead of the official opening ceremony scheduled for October 22 at the Bahrain International Exhibition & Convention Centre.