TEHRAN – Iran beat Syria 44-22 in the 1st Asian Men’s U17 Handball Championship on Tuesday.

Iran are drawn in Group D along with Syria, Republic of Korea and the Maldives.

The young Persians, who defeated Maldives 65-4 in their opening match, are scheduled to meet Korea on Wednesday. 

The competition started in Amman, Jordan, on Sept. 15 and will run until Sept. 25. 

This championship marks the inaugural continental competition for the U17 men’s category in Asia.

It also serves as a qualification tournament for the 1st IHF Men’s U17 Handball World Championship, scheduled to take place in the Morocco from Oct. 24 to Nov. 1.

The top two teams from the Asian Championship will qualify for the World Championship.

The championship was previously scheduled to be held in July, but was postponed due to the conflict between Iran and Israel.