Handball

[Competition venue: Yoyogi National Stadium]

    • Handball

      Overview
      Handball is a sport in which two teams of seven players attempt throw a ball into the opposing team's goal, and compete for scores. Each goal is worth one point. The team that has scored the most goals when the playing time is over is the winner.

      Each team has one goalkeeper who guards the team's goal. The remaining six field players pass and dribble the ball, with the aim of scoring points into the opponent team's goal.

      Key Points

      Handball is a total sport that requires three basic human movements often used in sport - running, jumping and throwing, and also includes body contact. Dynamic shots, aggressive impact between attack and defence sides, and speedy changes in the state of a game are among the major attractions.

      History

      Traces of a sport that resembles handball can be found in remains in Athens that are thought to date back to around 600 BCE. The origins of the modern handball can be traced back to the 7-a-side game invented by Holger Nielsen at the end of the 19th century in Denmark, and the 11-a-side game devised by Konrad Koch in the 1910s in Germany. The 11-a-side handball, which became popular around the area Berlin, was originally accepted as the mainstream form of the game, but this gradually shifted to the 7-a-side version.
      Handball was introduced as an Olympic sport at the Berlin 1936 Olympic Games, but disappeared until its return at the Munich 1972 Olympic Games. Women's competitions have been part of Olympic programmes since the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games.

      Detail

      MenWomen
      Event 12-team tournament 12-team tournament

(Updated on April 10, 2019)