Eagerly awaited by handball fans all around the
world, the draw for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games handball tournament was finally
staged today at the Future Arena in the Olympic Park in Barra de Tijuca, home of handball during the Games.
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 Competition, 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 according to their pre-determined performance rows. The draw started with row 6 and worked
up to 1, with the host nation having the right to choose which group it goes
into. Row 4, which featured Brazil, was determined last.
The draw brought along some interesting results.
The women went first and in Group A, defending Olympic, World and European
champions Norway will face hosts Brazil, Angola, Spain, Montenegro and Romania,
who finished third at the 2015 World Championship in Denmark and against whom
they played already in the semi-finals of the World Championship. In Group B,
the surprise team of the last Women’s World Championship, Netherlands, will
compete against Asian Champions Korea, Argentina, Sweden, Russia and France, as
Brazil chose to join Group A.
With defending Olympic and World Champions
France facing Qatar 2015 runners-up Qatar in Group B, the finalists of the 2015
Men’s World Championship will meet again. They will be challenged by Argentina,
Croatia, Denmark and Tunisia. In Group B, hosts Brazil join surprise EURO 2016 winners Germany,
Egypt, Sweden, Slovenia and Poland.
Draw results
Women’s competition
Group A: ANG, ESP, MNE, ROU, NOR, BRA
Group B: KOR, ARG, SWE, RUS, NED, FRA
Men’s competition
Group A: ARG, QAT, CRO, DEN, FRA, TUN
Group B: GER, EGY, SWE, SLO, POL, BRA