Abdulrahman Askar praised the Bahrain men's youth handball team for their continental championship success ©BOC

The Bahrain men's youth handball team were praised by the Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) after winning back-to-back titles at the Asian Men's Youth Handball Championships.

The Bahrain team won against Saudi Arabia, Oman and China in the first round and India and Jordan in the second stage.

They won by seven goals against their semi-final opponents, Chinese Taipei, who later clinched the bronze.

In the bronze medal match, Chinese Taipei beat Saudi Arabia, 29-26.

Bahrain faced Japan in the final, in a rematch of the 2016 tournament's final.

Two years ago, Bahrain triumphed by two goals, but this time managed to win by three goals, the final score being 34-31.

The Bahrain team only led by one goal at the end of the first half, 17-16, but managed to extend their advantage in the last 30 minutes.

A reception was held to welcome back the players ©BOC
A reception was held to welcome back the players ©BOC

The Bahrain Handball Association President Ali isa Esaaqi was present at the final and joined in with the celebrations.

The team were then welcomed home with an official reception which celebrated their win, but also their qualification for the World Championships to be held in Spain.

BOC secretary general, Abdulrahman Askar, along with other high-ranking sports officials, were among those present at the reception as the team returned from Amman, Jordan.