After the XX World Championship in Brazil has come to an end with Norway as World Champion, nearly all decisions concerning the Qualification for the Women’s Olympic Handball Tournament 2012 in London are taken. Thanks to the Norwegian victory (current European Champion), Sweden qualified directly for the 2012 London Olympic Games as European representative (Silver medalist at the EHF EURO 2010).

Those teams are qualified directly for the Olympics:

Great Britain (host), Norway (World Champion), Sweden (European qualificant as Silver medalist at the EHF EURO 2010), Korea (Winner of the Asian Olympic qualification), Brazil (Winner of the Pan American Olympic Qualification)

The African Championship (Continental Qualification Tournament for London) will be played 11- 20 January in Morocco. The winner will qualify directly for the 2012 Olympic Games.

The six best ranked teams of the World Championship which did not qualify directly for London, qualified for the three Olympic Qualification Tournaments, which will be staged from 25- 27 May 2012. Each of the two best-ranked teams of those tournaments (in total six) will qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

This is the current composition of those tournaments:

Tournament 1 (in France): France, Angola (both qualified by the World Championship 2011), Romania (best ranked team of EHF EURO 2010), Japan (Asian runners-up of Olympic Qualification)

Tournament 2 (in Spain): Spain, Croatia (both qualified by the World Championship 2011), Argentina (runners-up of Pan American Qualification), Montenegro (second best ranked team from EHF EURO 2010)

Tournament 3 (in Denmark): Denmark, Russia (both qualified by the World Championship 2011), AFR 2 (runners-up of the African championship, known 20 January 2012), Dominican Republic (third ranked team of the Pan American Qualification)

If Angola becomes African Champion, the composition of the tournaments will change. Then Montenegro will not qualify as second best ranked team from the EHF EURO 2010, but as six best ranked from the World Championship. This means that Netherlands will promote as second best team from the EHF EURO 2010 (ranked eighth in Norway and Denmark).

The new composition, if Angola becomes African Champion:

Tournament 1 (in France): France, Montenegro, Romania, Japan

Tournament 2 (in Spain): Spain, Croatia, Argentina, Netherlands

Tournament 3 (in Denmark): Denmark, Russia, AFR 2 (runners-up of the African championship, known 20 January 2012), Dominican Republic