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An Olympic sport since 1936, handball was first played in Denmark,
Germany and Sweden towards the end of the 19th century.
The first Olympic handball event was played on football fields in Berlin 1936, the next appeared indoors at the Munich 1972 Olympic Games.
A women's event was added for the Montreal
1976 Olympic Games and it has proved very popular with the fans.
History of Handball
The very fact that man has always been more adept at using his hands
than his feet lends credibility to the claim made by famous sports historians that he
started playing handball much earlier than, say, football.
Handball's attractiveness is its speed.
A handball game consists of two 30-minute halves, with a 10-minute
break at half-time.
Two teams of seven players pass, throw, catch and dribble a small ball
with their hands and try to score more goals than their opponents.
Both men's and women's events are now 12-team tournaments.
Previous Handball Olympic Winners
MEN
Berlin 1936 - Germany, Austria, Switzerland.
Munich 1972 - Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Romania.
Montreal 1976 - Soviet Union, Romania, Poland.
Moscow 1980 - East Germany, Soviet Union, Romania.
Los Angeles 1984 - Yugoslavia, West Germany, Romania.
Seoul 1988 - Soviet Union, South Korea, Yugoslavia.
Barcelona 1992 - Ex USSR, Sweden, France.
Atlanta 1996 - Croatia, Sweden, Spain.
Sydney 2000 - Russia, Sweden, Spain.
Athens 2004 - Croatia, Germany, Russia.
WOMEN
Montreal 1976 - Soviet Union, East Germany, Hungary.
Moscow 1980 - Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, East Germany.
Los Angeles 1984 - Yugoslavia, South Korea, China.
Seoul 1988 - South Korea, Norway, Soviet Union.
Barcelona 1992 - South Korea, Norway, Ex USSR.
Atlanta 1996 - Denmark, South Korea, Hungary.
Sydney 2000 - Denmark, Hungary, Norway.
Athens 2004 - Denmark, South Korea, Ukraine.
Sweden's Magnus
Wislander was voted World Handball Player of the Century in 1999.
Although he led Sweden to world championships in 1990 and 1999 and
European championships in 1994, 1998, 2000 and 2002, Wislander has never won a gold medal
at the Olympics; as Sweden finished runners-up in Barcelona
1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney
2000.
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IHF:
Peter Merian-Strasse 23, 4002 Basle, Switzerland.
The International Amateur Handball Federation was formed In 1928, up on the occasion of
the Amsterdam Olympic Games.
National Federations
Dansk Hĺndbold Forbund: (Denmark).
Deutscher
Handballbund: (Germany).
England
Handball:
An Intranet site where guests can only access some parts of it.
Euro Handball:
Home of the European Handball Federation.
Handball Canada:
The Canadian Team Handball Federation is committed to helping athletes achieve excellence
in handball.
Hrvatski Rukometni Savez: (Croatia).
Magyar Kézilabda Szövetség:
(Hungary).
Norges Hĺndballforbund:
(Norway).
Svenska Handbollförbundet:
(Sweden).
USA Team Handball:
USA Team Handball is the national governing body for the Olympic sport of handball in the
United States.
Handball.
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