The winners of the Doha-hosted Asian Men’s Handball Qualification secure tickets to the 2024 Games.

Japan qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games after defeating Bahrain at the Asian Men’s Handball Qualification in Doha, where Qatar’s Al Annabi got an early send-off.

Finishing on top, Japan took down Bahrain 32/29 in a close final match, driving the Japanese squad into their second entry at the Summer Olympic Games after Tokyo 2020.

The second-place finish pushed Bahrain to seal a spot at the 2024 IHF Men’s Olympic Qualification Tournaments where the team will have a second attempt to reach the Paris Olympics.

Qatar’s dream of the Summer Olympics were stopped by an incredibly tight face-off against Bahrain that ended 29-30. Al Annabi then took on South Korea in a third-place play-off but lost 38-32.

Despite finishing fourth in the tournament, hosts Qatar played a strong performance throughout the contest and managed to defeat China with a score of 34/25 in the opener.

In Doha, 11 teams fought for a ticket to the 2024 Olympic Games, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, United Arab Emirates, and India – which finished at the bottom of the ranks.

Qatar’s loss comes as a surprise following its dominative regional position. Al Annabi is the only non-European side to reach the final of the Men’s World Handball Championship.

Qatar has won five Asian Men’s Handball Championship titles, the last of which was claimed in 2022.

Qatar’s handball team has only appeared in one edition of the Summer Olympics 2016, where it finished in eighth place.