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Habdball made its Olympic debut in 1936 during the Berlin Games. At that time, handball was an outdoor game which was played on a field. However, over the years, handball went onto become an indoor sport and it remains to be so even now. read more
 "Handball - history, rules, defending champions")
Athletes in action during the women's handball final between France and Russian Olympic Committee at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Reuters
The origins of handball go back to the late 19th century in Scandinavia and Germany. Back in those times, handball was an outdoor game with 11 players in each team. The sport was called field handball back then and it wasn’t until 1910 when indoor handball was introduced to Sweden by G. Wallström. The International Handball Federation, the sport’s global governing body, was founded in 1946 in Denmark’s Copenhagen. It has its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland.
Between 1938 and 1966, several world championships for both indoor and outdoor handball were held. However, from 1967, only indoor handball championships have been held.
Paris Olympics Complete Coverage: Click here for news, schedule, explainers and more
What is handball’s history at the Olympics?
Field handball was introduced to the Olympics in 1936 in Berlin and 16 years later, at the Helsinki Olympics in 1952, field handball was a demonstration sport. It would take another 20 years, during the 1972 Munich Olympics, for indoor handball to feature at the Games for the first time.
Four years later, at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, the first handball competition for the women was held.
What are the rules?
Modern handball is played on an indoor court that measures 40m length and 20m width. The court consists of two goals and either end along with a central playing area, which is divided by a central line. Both competing teams can field seven players (Six court players and one goalkeeper), with a minimum of five players needed on the court to start a handball game.
Apart from the players on the court, seven to nine players are permitted on the team bench as substitutes. Unlike in football, any number of substitutions can be made in handball. However, a player serving suspension cannot be substituted off. And if a player receives a red card or is disqualified from the contest, he cannot be replaced until after two minutes.
Games are played with two halves of 30 minutes each. Players are allowed to take a maximum of three steps without dribbling and are only allowed to hold the ball for a maximum of three seconds. The team that scores most number of goals at the end of 60 minutes win the contest.
Handball is a body-contact sport. Players are allowed to throw, push, stop or even hit the ball with the use of their hands, head, torso, thighs and knees. However, they are not allowed to touch the ball with the feet or any body part below the knee. Passive play, however, is illegal in handball and could lead to warning for a team. Having said that, players are not allowed to hold the ball without attempting to attack or go for goal. The team that commits this mistake is penalized with a free throw being awarded to the opposing team.
Who are the defending champions?
Men’s handball: France
Women’s handball: France
How many teams have qualified for handball at Paris Olympics?
A total of 12 teams in each — Men’s handball and women’s handball, have qualified for the Paris Olympics. The teams have been divided into two groups of six each with the top-four teams from each group qualifying for the quarter-finals.
When and where will handball take place at the Olympics?
The men’s handball tournament at the Paris Olympics will take place between 27 July and 11 August, whereas the women’s tournament will take place between 25 July and 10 August.
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English (US) ·