The British Olympic Association (BOA) has announced today fourteen players selected to compete for Team GB in women’s handball at the London 2012 Olympic Games. They will make history as the first players ever to represent Team GB in the sport of handball at the Olympics.
The handball players selected to Team GB today are:
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Although making its Olympic debut in 1936, handball has only been a regular part of the Olympic Programme since 1972 and London 2012 marks Team GB’s first Olympic appearance, in both the women’s and men’s competitions.
While it is relatively unknown in Great Britain, handball is the most popular women’s team sport in Europe, and British Handball figures show the game's popularity is on the rise, with a 600% increase in participation in recent years.
The GB Handball performance programme was formed in 2006, following London’s successful bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games. The squad has made exceptional progress over the last six years to prove they are now capable of delivering credible and competitive performances against the strongest handball nations in the world.
The GB women’s team have recorded a number of high profile victories in the build up to the Games, including a win over African champions Angola at last year’s test event in the London 2012 Handball Arena, named the Copper Box.
The squad members, many of whom have made great personal sacrifices to relocate to their central training base at Crystal Palace, will face Montenegro, Russia, Croatia, Brazil and Angola in the group stage of the Olympic tournament.
With their Olympic debut this summer, Team GB handball aims to inspire future generations to take up handball and provide a lasting legacy for the sport in the UK. While Team GB qualified for London 2012 via a host nation place, their ambition is to qualify for future Olympic Games by right.
The addition of the handball players brings the total number of athletes officially selected to compete for Team GB at London 2012 to 261 across twenty-three sport disciplines: archery, athletics – marathon, badminton, boxing, canoe slalom, canoe sprint, cycling, diving, fencing, handball, hockey, modern pentathlon, rowing, sailing, shooting, swimming, synchronised swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon and weightlifting.
The athletes were formally nominated to the BOA for selection to Team GB by British Handball, the National Governing Body for handball in the UK.
Team GB Chef de Mission Andy Hunt said:
British Handball Performance Director Lorraine Brown said:
Team GB Handball Captain Lynn McCafferty said:
Team GB Handball Goalkeeper Jane Mayes said: