The Australian men’s handball team will now face Bahrain in their first friendly international, on 12 January in Dubai, to accommodate for changes in training schedules leading up to the 2022 Asian Men’s Championship in Saudi Arabia.
The men’s national team was due to play the United Arab Emirates in their first training match, but the hosts requested a change in schedule to accommodate the Bahrain national team.
Australia will still face the United Arab Emirates, as planned, on 14 January in Sharjah.
On 17 January, the team will travel to Dammam, Saudi Arabia, to start their 2022 Asian Men’s Championship campaign.
Japan withdraws from Asian Championship
Japan national men’s team have withdrawn from the 2020 Asian Men’s Championship in Saudi Arabia, after several players returned positive Covid-19 tests during a training camp in Spain.
Earlier in the week, the team withdrew from a scheduled four-nation tournament in Cuenca, alongside Spain, Poland and Iran when ten of their players tested positive for the virus.
Photo credit: © IHF
