Germany’s world champion handball team is tipped to relegate defending Olympic champion Croatia to a minor medal at the Beijing Games next month.

As an Olympic sport, handball debuted as a men’s game at the 1936 tournament in Berlin, where the host country won their only gold but went on to win silver in 1984 and 2004.
Croatia won the gold medal at the Athens 2004 Games but face a stern challenge from Germany, which defeated Poland 29-24 in Cologne last year to be crowned world champion.
Croatia was beaten 21-18 by France in the quarter-finals with rising star Nikola Karabatic leading the charge.
The 24-year-old Frenchman plays for Kiel in the Bundesliga and was voted most valuable player in Germany’s domestic league for the last two years running - he is one to watch in Beijing.
Karabatic helped France win a bronze medal at January’s 2008 European Championships, where he was top-scorer and was voted the player of the tournament.
Croatia and Germany have been drawn apart in the two separate six-team groups for Beijing, where the Croatians can expect a stiff challenge from Pool A rivals Poland and France.
Denmark could be something of a dark horse for an Olympic medal, having beaten both Germany and Croatia on the way to the Euro crown.
Having beaten world champion Germany 26-25 in the semi-finals, Denmark then over-powered Croatia, which despite racing into an early lead was well beaten thanks to an outstanding display by Danish keeper Kasper Hvidt.
Among the favourites in the women’s tournament will be Russia and Norway, which disputed the world championships final in Paris in December.
The Russians won on that occasion 29-24, but they lost to the same country in the final of the 2006 European Championships.

from: abc.net.au

The Brazilian national teams of men’s and women’s handball on Tuesday intensified their training for the 2008 Olympics.

On Monday, the brackets were selected by the International Olympic Committee. The Brazilian teams are expecting a tough first round in the Beijing Games.

Brazil’s women will play in group B against Russia, Germany, Hungary, South Korea and Sweden.

Juan Oliveira, coach of the women’s team, believes that group Ais weaker. “In theory, group A is weaker. Group B, where we are, is strong. Russia is the world ranked No. 1. Germany is currently ranked 3rd in the world. South Korea is the reigning Olympic runner-up.”

Oliveira will take his team to Santa Catarina to continue its preparation for the Olympics.

The Brazilian men’s handball team was drafted in group A for the Beijing Olympics, against Poland, France, Croatia, China and Spain.

According to the team’s head coach Jordi Ribera, “it is a very difficult group. There are teams that are European powerhouses as well as world contenders.”

Renato Tupan, the Brazilian men’s player who currently plays for the German team of Wilhelmshavener H. Verein, agrees “we are in a difficult group. I think our toughest game will be against China. However, we have to enter into every game with confidence and concentration.”

from: xinhuanet.com

South Korea has secured a place in the men’s handball tournament of the Beijing Olympic Games as it defeated Japan 28-25 on Wednesday in a zone qualification replay.
The Asian Olympic qualifier was initially held in September last year but the International Handball Federation ordered replay with match-fixing worries in December.
Referees from Jordan and Iran were brought in at the last minute by the Asian Handball Federation (AHF) to replace German referees and their disputed calls helped Kuwait win the men’s tournament and Kazakhstan the women’s, qualifying them for the 2008 Games in Beijing.
The AHF, headed by Kuwaiti prince Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, denied match fixing and said it will punish countries taking part in the current replays.
The IHF, however, declared in a recent letter to the AHF that it is the “only body endorsing the results of the continental qualifying tournaments for Olympic Games and World Championships.”
Only Japan and South Korea took part in the replays. South Korea’s women’s team defeated Japan on Tuesday to book a place in the Beijing Olympics.

from: chinadaily.com.cn