Handball

Number of competitors
96 – all women

Each country is limited to eight athletes (two Individual athletes and a group of six athletes for the Group event)

Field of play
Gymnasts compete on a floor measuring 13 metres x 13 metres.

Number of medal events:
One men’s and one women’s competition.

Number of competitors:
168 men and 168 women.

Twelve teams compete in both the men’s and women’s competitions, with 14 athletes (seven players and seven substitutes) on each team.

Each country is limited to one men’s and one women’s team.

View the full competition schedule

Field of play:
Handball is played on a 40m long and 20m wide court. The goals at either end are 3m wide and 2m high. The court is divided into two halves, with each goal surrounded by two ‘D’ shaped areas. The inner D, at a distance of 6m from the goal, is defined by its dark blue colour and is called the goal area, which only the goalkeeper may enter; the outer D, defined by a dotted line at a distance of 9m from the goal, marks the free-throw line.

History of Handball at the Olympic Games
Handball was developed in Denmark, Sweden and Germany in the late 19th century. Originally played outdoors as field handball, the sport first appeared at the Berlin 1936 Games. The modern indoor version made its Olympic debut at Munich 1972. The first women’s competition appeared at the Montreal 1976 Games. Handball has featured at every Olympic Games since.

Find out more about Handball at the Olympic Games on the International Olympic Committee website.

The basics
Played on the largest court of any indoor ball sport at the Games, Handball features two teams of seven players passing and dribbling (bouncing) a small ball with their hands. The aim is to throw the ball into the opposition’s goal, which happens often: it is not uncommon to see 50 goals or more in a single match. The goal is protected by a goalkeeper. Only the goalkeeper is allowed in the goal area in front of each goal. However, players may jump into this area when attempting a shot at goal but must release the ball before landing. Matches consist of two 30-minute halves, with the team scoring the most goals the winners.

There is a lot of physical contact in Handball, although the referees may choose not to stop the game as a result of each foul, provided that the team in possession of the ball is not disadvantaged, allowing the game to flow more freely.

Players have different positions and roles on court including backs, wings and a goalkeeper. Typically, all players will play in both defence and attack. Court players may propel the ball with any part of their body above the knee (they may not kick it), but may only hold the ball for a maximum of three seconds, and take a maximum of three steps while holding it. Goalkeepers may touch the ball with any part of the body while in the goal area and are not restricted by the three-second/three-steps rule. A goalkeeper may leave the goal area when not in possession of the ball, and may then participate in the game as any other court player. Court players may not pass the ball back to the goalkeeper when he/she is in the goal area.

The ball is made of synthetic leather and must have a circumference of 58-60cm in the men’s competition, and 54-56cm in the women’s competition.