Japan has emerged victorious at the 18th Asian Men’s Junior (U21) Handball Championship, held from 14 to 25 July 2024 at the Princess Sumaya Hall in Amman, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. This marks the second consecutive gold medal for Japan in this competition. In the final match, Japan defeated the Republic of Korea with a score of 32-27.
Thirteen teams from across Asia participated in the championship, divided into four groups. Groups A, B, and C each consisted of three teams, while Group D comprised four teams.
Group A: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong-China. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia advanced to the main round with Bahrain winning 2 matches and Saudi Arabia 1 match.
Group B: Kuwait, I. R. Iran, P. R. China. I. R. Iran and Kuwait moved forward to the main round, with I. R. Iran winning 2 matches and Kuwait 1 match.
Group C: Jordan, India, Oman. Jordan and Oman progressed to the main round, Jordan winning 2 matches and Oman 1 match.
Group D: Japan, Republic of Korea, Chinese Taipei, Qatar. Japan advanced to the main round by winning against Chinese Taipei and Republic of Korea, and drawing with Qatar. The Republic of Korea was the runner-up, winning against Chinese Taipei and Qatar.
The third-ranked teams from each group, along with the fourth-ranked team from Group D, competed for the placement matches and for the Martyr Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Cup in a single group round-robin format.
The main round saw eight teams divided into two groups of four.
Group 1: Republic of Korea won all 3 matches, followed by Bahrain, who won 2 matches against Kuwait and Jordan. Both teams advanced to the semi-finals.
Group 2: Japan dominated by winning all its matches. Saudi Arabia secured 2 victories against I. R. Iran and Oman to progress to the semi-finals.
Semi-Finals and Medal Matches
Semi-Final 1: Republic of Korea defeated Saudi Arabia 30-21.
Semi-Final 2: Japan defeated Bahrain 30-26.
In the bronze medal match, Bahrain triumphed over Saudi Arabia with a score of 28-25.
The closing ceremony was graced by the presence of the following distinguished guests and officials from the Asian Handball Federation (AHF) and the Jordan Handball Federation (JHF):
- Her Royal Highness Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan of Jordan
- AHF Vice President Prof. Dr. Sari Hamdan Ghanima (Jordan)
- AHF Executive Director Dr. Ahmad Abu Al-Lail (Kuwait)
- AHF Technical Director Jasem Mohammed Al-Theyab (Kuwait)
- JHF President Prof. Dr. Taiysir Mansi
- AHF Assistant Technical Director Abdullah Jasem Al-Theyab (Kuwait)
Japan, Republic of Korea, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia have qualified for the 25th IHF Men’s Junior (U21) Handball World Championship, scheduled to take place in Poland in June/July 2025.
For match results and reports, please click here.
