Tokyo 2020 draws preview

31 Mar. 2021

Tokyo 2020 draws preview

Handball players, coaches and fans around the world will be glued to their phones, laptops, computers and even televisions on Thursday (1 April) as the draws for the Men’s and Women’s Handball Tournaments of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 will be made.

The draws will take place in the Head Office of the International Handball Federation (IHF) in Basel, Switzerland and will start at 10:00am CEST. 

The draws will be streamed live on the IHF Facebook page

To read about how the teams qualified through their continental championships click here, and through the Tokyo Handball Qualification 2020 tournaments click here for the men and here for the women.

Host advantage?

As host nation and organisers, the Japan men’s and women’s teams - in pot 4 in each draw - have the luxury of seeing all their competitors in each group of their respective tournament before deciding which one they want to go in.

For both Japanese sides, Tokyo 2020 represents a return to Olympic action after a long hiatus. The men’s team have not appeared since their fourth appearance, at Seoul 1988, while it has been a much longer wait – 45 years – for the women, who appeared at the debut women’s tournament – Montreal 1976 and have not qualified since.

Men’s draw

A side who has waited even longer for their second Olympic Games appearance is the Norwegian men’s team, who also appeared at the debut edition for their gender – Munich 1972. Somewhat surprisingly, given results and rankings in recent years, they have not qualified for another one, but that changed in Podgorica, Montenegro, earlier this month when they secured their ticket by winning Tokyo Handball Qualification 2020 – Men’s Tournament 1.

Christian Berge’s Norway find themselves in pot 1 alongside defending champions Denmark, who have also won the last two IHF Men’s World Championships – including the 2019 edition which booked their Tokyo ticket – and they are one of the red-hot favourites to be top of the Olympic podium again not least due to their star-studded squad which features the last two IHF Men’s Handball Player of the Year winners – Niklas Landin (2019) and Mikkel Hansen (2018), who was also MVP of Egypt 2021.

But their Scandinavian neighbours Sweden, who they beat in the 2021 IHF Men’s World Championship final, love the Olympics and have won four silver medals in the last seven editions. They are in pot 2 with the 2008 and 2012 gold medallists, France.

Pot 3 sees Germany, who recorded their worst-ever world championship ranking at Egypt 2021 (12th) with Portugal who finished just above (10th) but will be in their first-ever Olympic Games in what is sure to be an emotionally-charged adventure for them, following the shock death of inspirational goalkeeper Alfredo Quintana late last month. Rio 2016 hosts Brazil are in pot 4 with 2021 hosts Japan.

Spain, who have won three bronze medals since 1996, are in pot 5 with the sole African men’s representative, Egypt, while another debutant – and first-ever sports team from the country to qualify through to an Olympic Games – Bahrain, will join Argentina, in their third-consecutive Games, in pot 6.

Women’s draw

The women’s draw does not feature any debutants, but pot 1 hits hard from the very start with the two finalists of the most recent IHF Women’s World Championship – Japan 2019. While the Netherlands took gold in Kumamoto, beating Spain with the last throw of the match, the Spanish side, hosts of the 2021 IHF Women’s World Championship at the end of the year, will be looking to improve on their solitary medal – bronze in 2012.

Pot 2 sees hosts of Tokyo Handball Qualification 2020 – Women’s Tournament 3, Montenegro, in their third-successive Games, under just-announced new head coach and Montenegrin legend, Bojana Popovic. 

Joining them are the ‘Russian Olympic Committee’ team, named after a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling to ban Russia’s team name, flag and national anthem for Tokyo 2020 and subsequently agreed on by the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency. In 2016 Russia won Olympic Gold for the first time.

Norway in pot 3, are no strangers to Olympic Gold. Since their debut appearance in 1988, they have won it twice (2008, 2012) and picked up medals in seven of their subsequent showings. If they were to win gold again they would equal Denmark’s record of three and overtake Korea for total medals (7) and thus be rightfully called the best-ever Olympic women’s handball nation. Their 2019 IHF Women’s World Player of the Year Stine Oftedal is set to again be one of the global superstars lighting up the Games. Despite the history, Norway found themselves scraping through their Montenegrin qualification tournament after Romania fell short by just two goals in their final game to qualify in their place. 

Joining Norway in pot 3 are Hungary who have three medals to their name, the last picked up at Sydney 2000. Sweden, who are in their fourth-ever Olympic Games – and fourth consecutively – join Japan in pot 4.

France qualified for Tokyo 2020 as 2018 European Championship winners, but due to the one-year postponement of the Games can no longer call themselves continental champions – that title was taken by Norway last December. At Rio 2016 they picked up silver – their best-ever result in five attempts and will host the next edition of the Games, Paris 2024.

Joining the French are the Republic of Korea who have an emotional and historical attachment to the Games, not only through hosting and winning gold on home soil at Seoul 1988, but in a period from 1984 to 2012 where they took two gold medals, three silvers, one bronze and two fourth places – and even had a movie made featuring a fictionalised account of their Athens 2004 silver.

The final pot could see one of the best prepared teams for Tokyo 2020 – and maybe one which will cause the traditionally-strong European sides a problem – Angola. They will be strong favourites to win the 2020 CAHB Women’s African Championship which was postponed from the end of last year to this June in Cameroon and will arrive in Tokyo full of recent competitive experience. They are joined by Brazil in pot 6 with the South American team finishing fifth on home court last time out, in 2016.

Tokyo 2020 match information

The Tokyo 2020 handball competitions start on Saturday, 24 July, with the preliminary round of the men’s tournament throwing off. The women’s competition starts the following day, on Sunday, 25 July. The medal matches will be played on 7 August (men) and 8 August (women). 

All games will be played at the Yoyogi National Stadium in Tokyo.

Visit tokyo2020.org for more information on the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Pots

Men’s Handball Tournament

Pot 1: Denmark, Norway
Pot 2: France, Sweden
Pot 3: Germany, Portugal
Pot 4: Brazil, Japan
Pot 5: Spain, Egypt
Pot 6: Argentina, Bahrain

Women’s Handball Tournament

Pot 1: Netherlands, Spain
Pot 2: Russian Olympic Committee, Montenegro
Pot 3: Norway, Hungary
Pot 4: Sweden, Japan
Pot 5: France, Republic of Korea
Pot 6: Angola, Brazil 

Draw procedure

1. Teams in pot 6 are drawn to groups A and B in row 6.
2. Teams in pot 5 are drawn to groups A and B in row 5.
3. Teams in pot 3 are drawn to groups A and B in row 3.
4. Teams in pot 2 are drawn to groups A and B in row 2.
5. Teams in pot 1 are drawn to groups A and B in row 1.
6. Organiser Japan has the prerogative to assign itself to a group of its choice in row 4.
7. The remaining team in pot 4 is assigned to the other group in row 4.

Archive

To read about the London 2012 draw click here.

To read about the Rio 2016 draw click here.