Asian Beach Games 2026: Maldives Beach Handball Team Starts Strong with Win Over Bangladesh
At the Asian Beach Games 2026 currently underway in Sanya, China, the Maldives men’s beach handball team secured a victory over Bangladesh in their opening match.
The Games officially commenced today in Sanya, with beach handball among the first events to begin. The Maldives is competing in Group B of the men’s beach handball competition, alongside Oman, Pakistan, Jordan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Qatar, and Mongolia.
In their first group stage match, the Maldives defeated Bangladesh 2–1 following a penalty shootout.
The opening set was closely contested in the early stages; however, Bangladesh gained the lead towards the latter part of the set and extended their advantage. As a result, Bangladesh won the first set 21–12.
Despite losing the first set, the Maldives delivered a strong response in the second set. Demonstrating composure under pressure, the team secured the set 26–23. In this set, Fathuhulla Adam scored 10 goals, while Mohamed Shamnooz Naeem contributed 14 goals.
With both teams winning one set each, the match proceeded to a penalty shootout, where the Maldives emerged victorious with a score of 7–4. Goalkeeper Ahumeem Ali played a crucial role, making several key saves during the shootout.
The Maldives is scheduled to play another group stage match later today against a strong Jordan side. The match will take place at 14:00 hrs Maldives time.
