Doha, Qatar, October 28, 2019: Bahrain will play in the men's handball tournament at the Olympic Games for the first time after beating Korea in the final of the Asian qualifier in Doha, reports Inside the Games.
Korea, the red-hot favourites to secure the single Tokyo 2020 berth on offer at the Duhail Handball Sports Hall, led 15-13 at half-time. But Bahrain roared back in the second half to record a shock 34-29 win.
Victory sends Bahrain directly to next year's Olympics and consigns Korea to the International Handball Federation qualification tournaments in April.
A further three Tokyo 2020 places will be on offer at the three qualifiers.
In the third-place play-off, hosts Qatar ended the tournament on a high with a 31-21 win over Saudi Arabia.
Final Standings: 1, Bahrain; 2, Korea; 3, Qatar; 4, Saudi Arabia; 5, Iran; 6, Kuwait; 7, Hong Kong, China; 8, India.