There are multiple paths for Olympic Qualification, but nations initially qualify via their performance at either the World Championships or a Continental Championship. Here is how the 12 Olympic slots have been awarded for the past several Olympics. (The format is the same for both Men’s and Women’s Qualification)
- Olympic Host: 1 Slot
- Current World Champion: 1 Slot
- European Champion: 1 Slot
- African Champion: 1 slot
- Asian Champion: 1 Slot
- America’s Champion 1 Slot
- Olympic Qualification Tournaments: 6 Slots
Olympic Qualification Tournaments
The IHF organizes three separate tournaments, each with four nations. The four nations play a round robin tournament with the top two nations from each tournament qualifying for the Olympics. Teams qualify for these Olympic Qualification Tournaments based on their final rank in either the most recent World Championships or Continental Championships. The final composition of these tournaments is often somewhat complicated as there is a hierarchy in terms of qualification path and if, for example, a team wins their continental championship they directly qualify for the Olympics and the next ranked team is awarded their qualification tournament slot.