South Korea Falls to Qatar, Faces Japan for Handball Bronze

South Korea's men's handball team, which had hoped to win gold alongside the women's squad, was pushed into the bronze-medal match after failing to get past Qatar, which is chasing a fourth consecutive Asian Games title.

The team, coached by Cho Young-shin, lost 30-32 to powerhouse Qatar on the 28th at Entrio Inazawa in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The defeat ended Korea's bid to reclaim the title for the first time in 16 years, since the 2010 Guangzhou Games. Korea faces Japan in the bronze-medal match at 5 p.m. on the 29th at the same venue.

Korea opened a two-point lead early on with goals from its pivot and on fast breaks, but conceded a string of scores as Qatar broke through with high-release shots and superior speed, leaving the teams tied 16-16 at halftime. The second half remained close until Qatar left winger Ahmad Madadi scored consecutive goals with about five minutes left, putting Korea behind 28-30. Qatar then added two more, including on a fast break, to stretch the margin to 28-32 and effectively settle the result.

Cho, wiping away tears after the match, said, "It was because I thought of all the hardship our players and I went through." He added, "Our players prepared a great deal even though they were at a disadvantage against Qatar in physicality and power, but our defense collapsed at the decisive moment in the second half." He continued, "Qatar, chasing a fourth straight Asian Games title, is a strong team, but we were ahead in the content of the game and in the will to win. I am proud of our players."