The German handball players will play from Thursday to Sunday to qualify for the Olympics in Paris. The most important questions and answers about the tournament in Hanover.
Who are the German opponents?
National coach Alfred Gislason’s team plays against Algeria (Thursday, 5:45 p.m.), Croatia (Saturday, 2:30 p.m.) and Austria (Sunday, 2:10 p.m.)
Who qualifies for the Olympics?
The two best teams in the four-person tournament will win their ticket to the Olympic Games in Paris (July 25th to August 11th).
Who are the strongest competitors in the fight for Paris tickets?
The game against Algeria, the penultimate World Cup team in 2023, should be a mandatory task for the DHB team at the start. The decisive games await at the weekend against Croatia and Austria – Germany met both nations with moderate success at the European Championships in January. Outsiders Austria had wrested a 22:22 from Germany, while Croatia even celebrated a victory (30:24) in the sportingly insignificant final round of the main round.
In the duel with the 2003 world champion, there will be a reunion with Dagur Sigurdsson: The former national coach and maker of the 2016 European Championship winter fairy tale decided not to take part in the Olympics with Japan, which was already certain, and instead joined the Croatian team led by Domagoj Duvnjak from Kiel at the end of February.
What else is it about?
The future of national coach Gislason will also and above all be decided in Hanover. The German Handball Association (DHB) extended the contract with the Icelander after fourth place at the European Championships, Gislason’s best result to date as DHB coach, up to and including the home World Cup in 2027 – but the deal only applies if Germany manages to qualify for the Olympics . Until the ticket is in his pocket, the 64-year-old is working on probation.
Which players does national coach Gislason rely on?
The European Championship squad should sort it out. The 17-man squad is led by captain Johannes Golla, and top performers such as goalkeeper Andreas Wolff, playmaker Juri Knorr and youngster Julian Köster are also there.
It is interesting to look at the 35-man squad from which Gislason nominated his players: Hendrik Pekeler and Steffen Weinhold from Kiel, who have already retired from the national team, also appear there. Both had assured Gislason that they would be available in the event of a personnel emergency.
For Pekeler, a short comeback does not seem to be completely ruled out, as the pivots Johannes Golla and Jannik Kohlbacher were recently injured. European Championship driver Justus Fischer, who like Pekeler plays in the circle, is missing injured. The DHB has so far refrained from making a subsequent nomination.
Why is participating in the Olympics so important for handball?
The Olympic Games have immense appeal in handball. There is no bigger stage. A German team has only become Olympic champion once; in 1980, the GDR men led by goalkeeper Wieland Schmidt triumphed in the legendary final in Moscow against the Soviet Union. The last medal to date was bronze in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. In 2004 in Athens the DHB men won silver.
Where will the games be broadcast?
All games will be shown on free TV. “Sport1” shows the start against Algeria. ZDF is broadcasting the Croatia game, ARD is showing the possible decision against Austria live on Erste, in the ARD media library and in the stream at sportschau.de.
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NDR 2 Sport | March 14, 2024 | 11:53 a.m