After a 'no-medal' performance at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, the Korean men's handball team is back in action to qualify for the Olympic Games for the first time in 12 years.
The men's team departed for Doha, Qatar, on Friday for the Asian Qualifier for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The 11-nation tournament was divided into two pools, with Korea competing in Group A alongside Qatar, China, India, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The first and second place finishers in each group went on to play a quarterfinal tournament to determine the winner.
The winner will receive a direct ticket to the Paris Olympics, while the runner-up will receive a ticket to the Paris Olympics World Qualifier.
The men's team, led by head coach Hollande Freitas, has been preparing for the event since returning home from the Asian Games and settling into the Jincheon Athletes' Village.
South Korea has qualified for the Olympic Games seven times, including four straight from Sydney 2000 to London 2012, but has not qualified since London.
The qualification will mark the eighth time in her career that she has qualified for the main event and her first return to the Olympics in 12 years. 19가이드03