The significance of the Germans' achievement was that seventh place is the lowest one at these Championships to earn direct entry into next year's Olympic Qualification Tournament from April 8 to 10.

In the play-off match for fifth place, Croatia - who had defeated Germany 28-23 in the previous day's fifth to eighth place semi-finals - were defeated 28-24 by Denmark, who had beaten Slovenia 36-33 the night before.

Whoever wins the world title will claim an automatic qualifying place for Rio 2016, along with the hosts, Brazil, and the next continental champions from Europe, Asia, Africa and Pan-America.

Germany en route to a win over Slovenia in the seventh-place match at the World Handball Championships ©Bongarts/Getty Images

If the world champions win their continental title in this or the next year, Rio qualification will go to the runners-up.

The remaining six spots in Rio - there will only be 12 teams there - will come from the Olympic Qualifying tournaments.

Germany, after successive defeats to Qatar in the quarter-final and then Croatia, roused themselves to achieve a tangible reward from a Championship which they only entered when Australia were obliged to drop out.

They had to give massive thanks for their progress to captain Uwe Gensheimer, who won the Adidas man-of-the-match award after scoring 13 goals.

"From the beginning our goal was to reach the Olympic Qualification Tournaments," said Germany's keeper, Carsten Lichtlein.

"We have achieved this, we are one of the eight best teams in the world.

"This was a step forward."

Meanwhile, as Poland look ahead to tomorrow's third-place match against the 2013 world champions, Spain, the Polish team doctor, Rafal Markowski, has been banned for six months for threatening officials after his team's 31-29 semi-final defeat by Qatar.

Markowski was said to have "approached the officials' table and displayed aggressive unsportsmanlike conduct towards the referees and officials" according to an International Handball Federation report.

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