Rio de Janeiro: Defending Olympic and World Champions France and Qatar, which met in the final of the 215 World Championships will meet again at this year’s Olympic Games as the two have been paired in the same group. The draw for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games handball tournament was staged at the Future Arena in the Olympic Park in Barra de Tijuca, home of handball during the Games in which the finalists of the 2015 Men’s World Championship, held in Qatar, were drawn together in Group A.
The two will be challenged by Argentina, Croatia and Denmark. In Group B, hosts Brazil join surprise Euro 2016 winners Germany, Egypt, Sweden, Slovenia, Poland and Tunisia.
Before the first match of the Aquece Rio Handball Men’s Tournament, which serves as test event for the Olympic handball tournament, Per Bertelsen, Caretaker Chairman of the IHF Commission of Organizing, and former Brazil national player Zezé Sales drew the women’s teams, while Bruno Souza, former player of Brazil’s men’s team, assisted the 1st Vice-President of the IHF, Miguel Roca Mas, with the draw of the men’s teams.
Twelve teams in each gender category succeeded in qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. They were drawn into two groups of six each. In the women’s section, in Group A, defending Olympic, World and European champions Norway will face hosts Brazil, Angola, Spain, Montenegro and Romania.
In Group B, Netherlands, will compete against Asian Champions Korea, Argentina, Sweden, Russia and France, as Brazil chose to join Group A.
The Peninsula
