Asian Men’s Junior Handball Championship:
Iran beats powerhouse Kuwait for flying start
Iran got off to a flying start at the Asian Men’s Junior Handball Championship in Chuzhou, China, defeating Kuwait 29-27 in its Group B opener on Wednesday.
Omid Enayatijoo topped the scoring for Iran with a game-high 12 goals to claim the Player of the Match award, while Amirhossein Karami added four.
Mahdi Teimouri, Saleh Abbasi, and Mohammadjavad Mirzaei also contributed to the victory with three goals apiece.
Abdullatif Salmin led Kuwait with 10 goals, followed by Yosef Madwah with six.
Coached by Keyvan Sadeqi, the Iranian side produced a composed and disciplined performance against the Asian powerhouse—the most successful team in the history of the competition with five titles—taking control from the opening minutes through strong teamwork and defensive organization to build a 15-13 halftime lead.
Iran maintained its momentum after the break, combining individual brilliance with the effective execution of the coaching staff’s tactical plans to keep Kuwait at bay. Holding on to its advantage until the final whistle, the Iranians sealed a hard-fought victory.
The win gave Iran a major confidence boost ahead of Thursday’s clash with three-time champion South Korea, the runner-up to Japan in the previous edition, which edged Qatar 28-27 earlier on Wednesday.
Iran faces a demanding schedule in Group B, with matches against the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and defending champion Japan still to come before concluding the preliminary round against India on Tuesday.
The top four teams from each of the two groups will advance to the quarterfinals.
The championship also serves as the Asian qualifier for the 2027 IHF Men’s Junior (U21) World Championship in North Macedonia, with the four semifinalists securing places at the global showpiece.
Iran finished fifth in the 2024 edition, while its best-ever result came in 2008, when it claimed the silver medal after losing to Kuwait in the final.