History
Handball is a fast-paced team game that was first played in Scandinavia and Germany at the end of the 19th century.
European origins The modern game of handball was first played towards the end of the 19th century in Scandinavia and Germany. Field handball was first recognized at the turn of the century and G. Wallström introduced the sport of "handball" to Sweden in 1910.
First competition The International Amateur Handball Federation (IAHF) was set up in 1928 on the occasion of the Olympic Games in Amsterdam, leading to the first Field Handball World Championships being played in Germany in 1938, following its appearance at the 1936 Berlin Games.
Rival codes Between 1938 and 1966 both forms of handball were played at separate World Championships: an outdoor, 11-a-side game played on a football pitch and a new 7-a-side indoor version preferred by the Scandinavians.
Munich and Montreal Handball (the indoor version) was first present in the Munich 1972 Games, when a competition involving 16 men's teams was staged with Yugoslavia winning the first gold medal. A women’s event was added at Montreal in 1976, which was won by the Soviet Union.
Equipment
Ball The ball, with a leather casing, ranges in circumference from 58 to 60 cm for men and 54 to 56 for women. It weighs 425 to 475 grams for men, 325 to 400 for women.
Court The court for handball is 40 m long and 20 mwide. A centre line across it divides it into two equal courts, with a goal area at each end. The goal area is D-shaped, arcing from the corners to a straight line six m in front of the goal. The arcing sides similarly create a six-m distance from the nearest part of the goal at all points.
International federation
The International Handball Federation (IHF) was founded in July 1946 in Basel, Switzerland. Handball made its Olympic debut at the 1972 Munich Games.
Rules
Handball is a fast-paced game involving two teams of seven players who pass, throw, catch and dribble a small ball with their hands while trying to score goals. The team with the most goals wins the game. A game consists of two 30-minute halves with a 10-minute half-time break.
Knockout
tournament Teams are placed into two pools of six for both men and women. Each team plays the other teams in that pool. The top two teams in each pool proceed to the semi-finals. The remaining teams play classification matches for fifth place and lower. Semi-final winners play for the gold and silver medals. Semi-final losers play for the bronze.
Munich and Montreal
Handball (the indoor version) was first present in the 1972 Munich Games. A competition involving 16 men’s teams was staged with Yugoslavia winning the first Olympic gold medal. A women’s event was then added at Montreal in 1976.
