JEDDAH: The Asian Handball Club Championship 2009 kicks off today with 15 teams seeing action at the Jeddah sport hall near Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium here.
The competition runs through Feb. 26.
Teams were divided into four groups. In Group A are Al-Qadisia of Kuwait, Al-Sadd of Qatar and Al-Jaish of Iraq. Bunched in Group B are Foolaz Moobarkaa of Iran, Al-Ahli of Qatar, Al-Sdaqa of Lebanon and Al-Nawaeir of Syria. Group C comprises Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia, Al-Sadd of Lebanon, Al-Najma of Bahrain and Al-Karkh of Iraq, while the Group D teams are Al-Salt of Jordan, Al-Noor of Saudi Arabia, Al-Fehaheel of Kuwait and Parsi of Iran. Al-Sadd is the most successful club team in the fold with five titles having won in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005. Kuwait’s Al-Qadisia won the 2006 and 2008 championships with another Kuwaiti team, Kazma, likewise winning two times in 1998 and 1999. A third Kuwaiti team, Al-Fehaheel, claimed victory in 2004.
Foolaz Moobarkaa of Iran opens Group B matches against Al-Ahli of Qatar. Al-Salt of Jordan faces Al-Noor in the opening Group D match, while Ahli opens Group C matches against Al-Sadd of Lebanon and Al-Qadisia battles Al-Sadd of Qatar in a Group A contest. Muscat of Oman and Bahrain’s Barabar withdrew from the competition for reasons known only to them.
