Set an ambitious target of reaching the Olympic quarter-finals, neither Britain’s handball men nor the women were able to win a group game and make it through to the knockout stages.
This is no surprise – a programme in its infancy compared to world-leading teams from continental Europe, and neither team would have come near to qualifying for the Olympics without the benefit of host-nation places. They did, however, both have to convince the British Olympic Association they would be “competitive” prior to being officially entered for their home Games.
For the players, this was always a chance to showcase the sport to the nation rather than make any serious bid for a medal. The Copper Box, home to all the handball group games, has certainly been one of the success stories of London 2012, praised for its atmosphere, and this is where British Handball wants to squarely place the emphasis.
“The crowd in the Copper Box has been amazing and it seems as if handball has really caught on in Britain,” read a report on the British Handball website. “This was one of the main goals for the GB team going into the Olympic Games, to show Britain exactly why handball is such a great sport.”
Now, they need to show UK Sport exactly why handball deserves funding to pursue a Rio 2016 bid. The funding body may prove a tougher audience.
