Brazil handball coach says it's time to beat the best
Brazil's women look to erase bad memories as they prepare to face heavyweights Norway and Romania at Rio 2016 Games
Brazil's women will begin their Olympic campaign in the handball tournament against Norway on 6 August (Photo:Getty Images/Al Bello)
The Brazilian women’s handball team made a bold statement at the group draw for the handball competition at the Rio 2016 Games on 29 April. As hosts, they were able to choose which of the two groups they would be placed in. To the surprise of many they opted for the tougher looking Group A, which includes their two bogey teams, Norway and Romania, who knocked them out at London 2012 and at the 2015 world championship respectively. The reason for this decision, according to coach Morten Soubak, is simple: “It is time to beat them.”
Soubak says that beating two teams which have caused Brazil recent misery would be a big confidence boost to the team. It would also ease the pressure of the knockout round. “We know that we will not face Norway or Romania if we qualify (from the group). That is certain,” Soubak says. “But this doesn’t mean we will be left with easy competition. All the teams are very competitive.”
Coach Morten Soubak, originally from Denmark, has made Brazil's handball team a force to be reckoned with (Photo: Getty Images/Mark Dadswell)
Support of the fans
Tough opposition aside, Morten Soubak says the team have another priority ahead of them in the group phase: getting the home fans behind them. “I hope that the team feels comfortable in the arena and that lots of Brazilians will be there to support us,” he says.
The handball tournament will be contested in the Future Arena and will begin on 6 August when Brazil take on Norway in the women’s competition. “I had a quick look at the arena on the day of the draw and I’ll get to know it better in June. But I was impressed, it’s beautiful,” Soubak says.
Before the Games, the Brazilian women’s team will undertake a series of training sessions in Denmark and Austria. In Europe they will have two opportunities to face Norway, in training matches scheduled for Sunday (29 May) and Monday. The team will arrive in Rio de Janeiro only at the end of July. They will settle into the Olympic Village on 3 August, two days before the opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
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The Future Arena will host the handball competition between 6 and 21 August (Photo: Getty Images/Buda Mendes)
Want to watch the handball competition? Have a look at the table and pick your matches.
