Spain misses out on qualifying for Rio Olympics Handball tournament

ALTHOUGH not the most glamorous or popular sport in the world, more than 15,000 fans turned up in Krakow to see the men’s finals of the European Handball Championship between Germany and Spain on January 31 where the winner would automatically qualify for Rio 2016.

During this spirited match, the Spanish team was outplayed by the Germans who went on to win 24 to 17, which obviously left the Spanish team deflated, especially as the women had qualified earlier in 2015.

It’s not the end of the world for the Spanish men, however, as they will be favourites to win their group consisting of Spain, Slovakia, Iran and Sweden in the Olympic qualifying tournament which takes place from April 7 to 10 which will then allow them to join 11 other teams at Rio.