Photo courtesy of the NOC of Belarus
MINSK, 8 January (BelTA) – The Belarusian national handball team has taken second place at the international Handball Friendship Cup 2026 tournament, which concluded in Moscow, BelTA has learned.
In the decisive match for the top spot on 7 January, the Yuri Shevtsov’s squad lost to the Russian national team with a score of 28-31. Artsem Karalek was the top scorer for the losing side, securing seven goals.
In their opening match, the Belarusian national team delivered a decisive victory over the team from China, 34-22. Artsem Karalek was again the most productive player for Belarus, scoring seven goals. In the second round, the Belarusian side also secured a confident win against Russia’s second team, 36-22. The top scorer for the winners was Ihar Bialiavski, who found the opponents’ net seven times, followed by Pavel Duda with five goals.
The final standings are as follows: Russia – 6 points, Belarus – 4, Russia-2 – 2, China – 0.
At the end of 2025, the Belarusian handball players successfully played two away friendlies against the Qatar national team. The Belarusians claimed a 26-21 victory in the first match in Doha, followed by a hard-fought 18-17 win over the home team.
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