Praise for Handball event
The London Handball Cup was declared a success as an official Test event for the 2012 Olympics.
Last Updated: 27/11/11 5:55pm
The London Handball Cup was declared a thorough success after the official Test event for the London 2012 Olympics went off without a fault.
Great Britain's women may have finish last of the six teams involved, but they did grab a thrilling win over African champions Angola and showed some promising signs throughout.
The curtain came down on the event inside the Handball Arena located in the Olympic Park with Austria defeating Poland 23-22 in a thrilling final, with Angola taking bronze after beating China.
A vital event in terms of the testing of all equipment, security checks and officials for the by London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG), the tournament was given the thumbs up all round.
LOCOG gave away 10,000 tickets to local; schools and residents and the Arena, which will be a multi-use venue after the Games, also got the seal of approval.
Reaction
"It is great to see competitive action in the Handball Arena," said LOCOG's head of sport competition David Luckes.
"The test event has run very smoothly and the atmosphere generated by the local crowd has been electric. Not only have we been able to test our operations, this has also been a great chance to showcase Handball to a wider audience.
"We have been testing our scoring systems and timing technology as well as our workforce. The ability to integrate within a team to deliver a competitive event has been an invaluable experience for our staff and volunteers and will stand us in good stead for next summer."
The event also went down well with the International Handball Federation, with competition and organising commission member Peter Sichelschmidt voicing his approval.
"We are delighted with the event. It has been well organised with a fantastic atmosphere," he said. "There have been no major issues, just a few small things, but that is why we have a test event. It was vital to run this event prior to the Olympic Games next year, and with the knowledge we will take from this event, I am confident that Handball will be a real success at London 2012."
Winners
Austria beat Great Britain on their way to lifting the trophy, and their coach Herbert Muller waqs delighted to have played in the event.
"It was a great honour to play at this tournament and I really like the Olympic Handball Arena, especially the multi-coloured seats," he said. "The organisation was perfect and the whole Austrian team really enjoyed it."
The Handball Arena was the third Olympic Park venue to be completed in May 2011 and will have up to a 6,500 capacity at Games time. After the Games, capacity will be increased to accommodate up to 7,500 spectators as it becomes a multi-use venue for community use, athletic training and events.
