British Handball has announced that the International and European Handball Federations have pledged to support efforts to raise the sport's profile in the UK after the 2012 Olympics.

Officials from the European Handball Federation and the International Handball Federation (IHF) to offer support and assistance in a bid to increase the popularity of the sport in Britain and across the English-speaking world. Representatives from Sport England and London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) also attended the meeting, which heard how both the English and Scottish handball associations were looking to boost participation at grassroots level.

According to Mike Briers, chair of England Handball, the number of children who are playing handball has increased three-fold since 2007 to an estimated 30,000, while it is thought that around 4,000 are playing handball in Scotland. IHF president Hassan Moustafa said: "Time is short until the Olympics, so we have to work hard. Handball is a very attractive sport, and we are always one of the most popular sports at the Olympics.

"We have a very good product, but we have got to be good businessmen and sell it. We are ready for the challenge. We all have to work together to develop handball in this great country." British Handball chair John Brewer added: "We're fully committed to having two competitive teams at 2012, but also we're committed to leaving a lasting legacy for the future. It's not all plain sailing, we know we have a lot of issues to address - especially financially - but we're determined to achieve our aims."