By Vladimir Dmitriev
Yuri Shevtsov’s squad has enjoyed two victories over Ukraine — 30:24 and 31:20, playing at the Republican Centre for Olympic Reserve. The next stage will be hosted by Naro-Fominsk, near Moscow, with Belarus facing Russia and Norway, in June.
On June 9th, the team will battle the Slovaks in Kosice and then will have a return match at Minsk-Arena (seating 15,000) on June 17th. This will determine who goes through to the World Championship.
The Belarusian national women’s handball team is also preparing for its final qualifier matches, having finished fourth at a vital tournament in Turkish Antalya. On the final day, coaches Leonid Brazinsky and Konstantin Sharovarov saw the girls draw with Sweden — 30:30, after suffering defeat from Turkey (33:34) and Brazil (28:37). The team must now play its decisive match for a place among the elite teams of Europe.
