Qatar storm into semifinals at 4th International Camel Handball Championship
DOHA: Hosts Qatar advanced to the semifinals of the 4th International Camel Handball Championship after edging past Australia 11-9 in a hard-fought quarterfinal clash on Saturday.
The unique tournament, which fuses the excitement of handball with the heritage of camel racing, is taking place at the Al Shahaniya Racing Track and is held in cooperation with the Qatar Handball Association. The event features 17 participating nations from five continents.
Qatar will now take on Morocco in a high-stakes semifinal showdown. The North African side booked their spot by defeating Oman 17-15 in a tightly contested match.
In the other semifinal, Iraq will face off against surprise package Somalia. Iraq secured their place after a solid 11-9 win over Palestine.
Somalia, meanwhile, pulled off the tournament’s biggest upset by knocking out Mauritania 13-12 in a dramatic encounter. The match ended in a 12-12 stalemate before the Somali team triumphed in penalty throws.
Earlier in the Round of 16, Mauritania had overcome Algeria 14-7, Oman beat the USA 25-16, Qatar defeated Lebanon 24-16, Australia breezed past Libya 18-9, Palestine downed Colombia 10-7, and Iraq topped Djibouti 16-12. Somalia also made headlines in the round after eliminating Jordan through penalties following a 12-12 tie in regulation time.
The semifinals, final, and third-place playoff will be held on Sunday, with all matches broadcast live on Al Rayyan TV and the Arab Handball Federation’s official YouTube channel.
