All in all, there will be twelve teams who enter the finals
for the European Championship title. So far only Italy, as
organizer, and Russia, as title holder, are definite. The other
ten teams have to qualify between 24 September and 30 November
1997. Only the first two teams of the five qualification groups,
consisting of four teams each, will compete in the finals in
South-Tyrol. Already in spring 1997, 18 teams took part in the
preliminary qualification for the European Championship.
Macedonia, Switzerland, Israel, Slovakia and Poland acquired the
right to enter the real qualification in autumn and so have the
chance to compete in the European Championship. The programme of
the qualification games is enclosed in the press folder.
