[Week 31, 2010] China Handball Sets Goals for Asian Games

The Chinese women's handball team is expected to garner medals at the 2010 Asian Games while the men's team may finish in the top six spots, a Chinese handball official said on July 25.

Director of Handball Department of the State General Administration of Sport Peng Ning last week unveiled the nation's ambitions for the Asian Games which will be hosted in Guangzhou from November 12-27.

But Peng was still cautious.

"These goals are not so easy to reach since China faces strong opponents from a dozen women's teams and about 25 men's squads," Peng said while attending the 25th China University Handball Championship and Asia University Handball Invitational Tournament in Zhejiang province.

"Chinese women won a bronze medal in the Olympic Games before but now it will be a tough job to realize this goal or to exceed it," Peng added.

The Chinese handball team has not won a medal since the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles where they won the bronze medal. Peng said that a large fan base is needed for the sport to develop.