By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
The South Korean women's handball team earned a berth in the Beijing Olympics as it drubbed Ivory Coast 38-21 at a qualifying tournament on Sunday.
In the final qualifying game of Group C in Nimes, France, the Korean squad, headed by manager Lim Young-chul, picked up an easy victory against the winless West Africans.
In the other group qualifier, France defeated Congo 36-19 to claim a spot in the Olympic Games.
Although Korea and France each notched four points from two wins and one tie in the tournament, the home team advanced as the No. 1 seed because it had a plus-41 advantage in goal differential compared to Korea's plus-31.
The South Korean women earned their seventh straight berth in the Olympics. Since the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984, they have claimed five medals ― two golds from Seoul in 1988 and Barcelona in 1992, along with three silvers from 2004 in Athens, 1996 in Atlanta and the Los Angeles Games.
The Korean team had to play at three qualifying tournaments, including the latest one in Nimes, in order to get a Beijing berth.
The original Asian qualifying event, which was held in September in Tokyo, was annulled by the International Handball Federation (IHF) due to controversial officiating, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled last month a replayed Asian women's qualifier in January was not valid.
South Korea's players showed signs of fatigue after a tough match against France the previous day, but Ivory Coast was not a big threat to them.
From the beginning, Korea attacked the opponent's area to build a 10-5 lead in the 15th minute, then continued to fire away and got nice saves by goalkeeper Oh Young-ran to extend its advantage to 15-9 at halftime.
In the second half, Woo Sun-hee's three consecutive goals and Oh's saves sealed the victory early.
Germany and Sweden advanced in Group A, while Romania and Hungary earned trips to Beijing.