The Australian men competed at the World Championships earlier this year as winner of the Oceania Region (against New Zealand and the Cook Islands), but were ruled out of future qualification chances for London 2012.
HANDBALL FORMAT
Handball is a fast-paced game involving two teams of seven players on court who pass, throw, catch and dribble a small ball with their hands while trying to score goals. The team (squad of 14) with the most goals wins the game. A game consists of two 30-minute halves with a 10-minute half-time break.
The court for handball is 40 metres long and 20 metres wide. The goal area is D-shaped, arcing from the corners to a straight line six metres in front of the goal. The arcing sides similarly create a six-metre distance from the nearest part of the goal at all points. Players cannot be inside the arc when they have a shot at goal.
The Olympic tournament includes 12 teams for men and women. The number of teams for women has increased from 10 in Beijing to 12 for London.
The game is traditionally dominated by European nations and with competition being held in Olympic Park it is sure to be one of the spectacles of the London Games.
QUALIFICATION AND SELECTION
For both men and women the 12 quota places are determined as follows:
- 1 quota place goes to the 2011 World Champion (France - Men, Norway - Women)
- 4 places go to the winner of the continental qualifications for Asia, Africa, Europe and Pan-America
- 6 places are awarded to the top 2 nations from three IHF tournaments
- 1 place goes to Great Britain as host nation
For all the Nomination and Selection documentation click here>>>
AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC HISTORY
Australia’s men’s and women’s teams have never qualified for the Olympic handball competition at an away Games. Both teams competed at Sydney 2000 by virtue of Australia being the host nation.
To learn more about the history of handball at the Olympics click here>>>