Egypt clinch men’s volleyball gold at Arab Games

Egypt\\

26 December 2011

Doha, Qatar, December 26, 2011 – Egypt were crowned champions of the Arab Games men’s volleyball competition by beating defending champions Qatar 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-10) in Doha on Thursday after Egypt captured the women’s volleyball competition title on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Algeria also climbed to the podium after outclassing Kuwait in straight sets 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 26-24) in a thrilling one hour and 14 minutes to win the bronze medal.

The men’s tournament of the Arab Games drew 11 teams which were divided into two groups with the top two in each group entering the semifinals.

In Group A, Qatar finished top with a perfect record and only lost one set. Kuwait placed second with a record of three wins and one defeat, followed by Oman (2-2), Saudi Arabia (1-3) and Palestine (0-4). In Group B, Egypt was the winner with an 5-0 record, followed by Algeria (4-1), Bahrain (3-2), Jordan (2-3), Iraq (1-4) and Sudan (0-5).

In the semifinals on Monday, Egypt downed Kuwait in straight sets (25-22, 25-22, 25-18) while Qatar also clinched a 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-20) victory over Algeria.

Four years ago, Egypt was considered the favorite to win men’s volleyball tournament at the 2007 Arab Games, as they were the host nation.

Surprisingly the ‘Pharaohs’ succumbed 3-2 to Qatar in the semifinal, while the Qatari team completed their magnificent progress in the tournament by beating 3-1 Bahrain in the finals.

Final Ranking

1. Egypt - Gold

2. Qatar - Silver

3. Algeria - Bronze

4. Kuwait

5. Bahrain

6. Oman

7.Saudi Arabia

8.Jordan

9.Iraq

10.Palestine

11.Sudan