The DHB team still qualifies for the Olympics in Paris

At the home European Championship, the German handball players missed out on a medal in the game for third place. This also has an impact on Olympic qualification.

In the end they are left empty-handed: After the semi-final defeat against Denmark, the German national handball team also lost the game against Sweden and in the end has to be content with no medal at their home European Championship.

However, not only the bronze medal was lost due to the 31:34 defeat in Cologne. With third place, the DHB team would also have had the opportunity to qualify directly for the Olympic Games, which will take place in Paris in the summer.

At the European Championships, only one ticket for the Olympics is awarded. But since both finalists had already secured their participation in the games, with France as hosts and Denmark as reigning world champions, the Olympic ticket went to the third-placed team.

Despite the defeat, the door to the Olympics is not closed for the German selection. As fifth place in the World Cup last year, Germany has the right to take part in one of the qualifying tournaments that take place from March 13th to 17th. There the German team will meet Austria, Croatia and Algeria in a group. You have to finish at least second in the group to get your Olympic ticket.

A look at the European Championships shows that the path to the Olympics will not be easy. There the German team barely managed a draw against Austria in the main round and even lost to Croatia.

National coach Alfred Gíslason tried to reassure people after the European Championship defeat and was optimistic. “I wouldn’t say that we have no chance,” said the national coach. The team did not take advantage of their numerous scoring opportunities against Austria, he explained the draw against the team from the Alpine republic at the European Championships. “Of course we have to play much better against them than we did here,” continued Gíslason.

“We lost against Croatia, that’s right,” he explained. But that was also because the DHB team no longer needed a win to advance and he rotated the players a lot. “If we had absolutely had to beat the Croatians using all means possible, then we probably would have done it,” said the national coach confidently. All he said about Algeria, their third qualifying opponent, was: “They should not be underestimated.”

Of course, his team wanted to make it clear that they qualified for the European Championships, Gíslason admitted. “We are looking forward to these games,” he made it clear. “It’s going to be interesting, without a doubt.”