YONHAP NEWS

S. Korean women's handball team heads to Olympics

   TOKYO, Jan. 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea claimed a berth to this year's Beijing Olympics in women's handball on Tuesday by trouncing Japan 34-21 in an Asian qualifier rematch.

   The victory at Tokyo's Yoyogi National Gymnasium comes after the South Korean squad's chances of winning an Olympic berth were ruined in Kazakhstan last year when referees favored the home team.

   The Switzerland-based International Handball Federation (IHF) later declared the match invalid, allowing a rematch to be hosted by Japan, which had also failed to win an Olympic berth in the original round.

   As the crucial match began amid a crowd of nearly 10,000 fans dressed in red and blue to represent their respective squads, South Korea overwhelmed Japan with a flurry of quick passes and fierce shots.

   Led by forward Ahn Jeong-hwa and secured by goalie Oh Young-ran, South Korea outmaneuvered underdog Japan 18-12 by halftime and maintained its lead until finally muscling out the Japanese host at the final whistle.

   Attended by a pair of top South Korean actresses who starred in a hit movie about handball athletes, the match drew worldwide attention as the original round organized by the Asian Handball Federation (AHF) had been declared invalid amid allegations of influence-peddling.

   The Middle East-controlled AHF had challenged the IHF decision to hold the replay, threatening to expel South Korea and Japan from its membership.

   The IHF, unswayed by its lower body's threats and boosted by Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, who urged a fair rematch, has also allowed Japan to host the rematch of last year's men's qualifier.

   The Wednesday match in Tokyo will be a rematch of last year's men's qualifier, in which Kuwait was propelled to victory and given an Olympic berth amid nearly 40 bad calls, according to the IHF.

   Kazakhstan and Kuwait have boycotted the rematches in Japan, siding with the AHF that will seek to nullify this week's rematches.

   The South Korean women's squad, which now boasts a record of 28 wins, one tie and two losses against Japan since 1978, won gold medals in the 1998 Seoul Olympics and the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. It has claimed a pair of silver medals since 1992.

   The Korea Handball Federation has offered to pay a prize of 50 million won (US$52,000) to each of the men's and women's squads for a victory, while the host country put up nearly double the amount for its teams.

   samkim@yna.co.kr
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