After an eighth-place finish in Athens four years ago, China's women's handball team now looks to make a strong return at home this summer in Beijing.

"I know China did not play very well in Athens. I hope we will deliver a better result this time in Beijing," China's Korean head coach Kang Jae-won said.

Kang came to China last year and is the handball team's fourth consecutive Korean coach.

At yesterday's drawing ceremony in Beijing, China was drawn into Group A, which also includes European champion Norway, Romania, France, Angola and Kazakstan.

China's opening match will be against Norway. The match schedule will be decided at a later date.

Kang said China has progressed considerably in the past years but still needs to improve if it hopes to challenge the world's best teams.

"Chinese players are tall, but we are not strong enough and are too slow on the court.

"If we want to make it into the semifinals our first goal will be to win as many matches as possible in the group and advance into the next round with a good position."

World champion Russia is in Group B, along with Germany, Hungary, South Korea, Sweden and Brazil.

The men's team was also drawn into Group A but it will face tougher opponents than the women, such as Olympic champion Croatia, Poland, France, Spain and Brazil. China's first match is against Poland.

World champion Germany, European champion Denmark, Russia, South Korea, Iceland and Egypt comprise Group B.

The group stage is a round-robin competition with the top four teams advancing to the knockout stage.

It is the first time China's men's team will compete in an Olympic tournament.

China's men still lag far behind the world's elite teams, but they are hoping to gain valuable experience by competing against higher-level opponents.

"We will not set a specific target for the men's team since it is their Olympic debut. I hope they play their best games, show a fighting spirit and not give up till the last minute," said Lei Jun, director of the Handball, Hockey, Baseball and Softball Administrative Center.

The glory years of Chinese handball came during the 1980s. The men's team claimed the Asian Games title in 1982, while the ladies' team took bronze at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

But poor training and a lack of grassroots development have seen China's place in the handball world slump since then.

In the 1990s, China failed regionally and internationally. At last year's World Championships, its women's team finished 21st.

The Chinese Handball Association tried to professionalize the game by setting up a national league in 2004, but failed due to a lack of financial support.

Since strength and height are keys to success in handball, young Chinese players are often plucked from basketball teams and know almost nothing about handball when they start playing.

These "second-hand" players have to spend a lot of time learning the rules and fundamental skills, instead of tactics, which has slowed the sport's development here.

(China Daily June 17, 2008)