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European Beijing qualifiers to be held in Bratislava |
 The European men´s continental qualification tournament for the 2008 Olympic Games in Bejing, China will be held 2-9 September in Bratislava, Slovakia
The European men´s continental qualification tournament for the 2008 Olympic Games in Bejing, China will be held 2-9 September in Bratislava, Slovakia. This was decided and announced by the LEN Bureau on the occasion of a meeting in Kiev, Ukraine. The 12-team-tournament was already awarded to the Croatian city of Split, but the Croats have already ensured their Beijing berth as new FINA World champion in the meantime, so that the hosting of the event was given to the LEN.
The winner of this tournament will qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games, taking the berth of the European continental representative at the 12-team-competition in the Chinese capital. The second- to sixth-ranked teams at the Bratislava tournament will qualify for the Olympic Games Qualification tournament of the FINA to be held in March 2008 in Oradea, Romania. Here the teams can compete for the three remaining Beijing spots.
It will be the most important waterpolo event ever held in Slovakia and will see the duel of the strongest remaining European nations, including the top teams of the European “B” Championships in Manchester, Great Britain. Up to now only Croatia, Hungary and Spain as medal winners at the recent FINA World Championships in Melbourne, Australia have qualified for the Beijing games yet; one more team is expected to do it at the “Super Final” of the FINA World League to be held in Berlin, Germany. |
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