Movie shines spotlight on handball

TOKYO (Reuters) - A row over alleged match-fixing and a South Korean blockbuster movie has helped handball make headlines this year ahead of the Beijing Olympics.

Former men's world champions Spain and Olympic champions Croatia open the preliminaries on August 10.

South Korea's men won their Olympic ticket earlier this year after defying threats of severe penalties by their continental federation to win the disputed replay of a qualifying event.

Results from the original qualifier last year were nullified due to allegations that biased refereeing had helped Kuwait (men) and Kazakhstan (women) win Olympic berths.

The row pitted the International Handball Federation, which ordered the re-run, against the Kuwait-based Asian Handball Federation which threatened to penalize any Asian country participating in the event.

The CAS sports court allowed Kazakhstan's women to keep their Olympic place.

A craze over women's handball erupted in South Korea, sparked by a hit movie about a group of housewives-turned-handballers who go for gold at the Olympics.

The movie "Forever the Moment" was based on South Korea's women's team at the 2004 Games who lost the gold medal match 38-36 to Denmark.

(Reporting by Sophie Hardach; Editing by Robert Woodward)