In the picture, a female handball player, holds a ball with his left hand getting in position to throw it.
SPORTS

Handball

Handball is a sport on which a lot of points area added per game, reason why the spectators will need to be prepared to celebrate their team at any moment.

Each team is made of seven players (six players and one goalkeeper), they have another seven backup players that can change with their partners at any moment.
It’s played on rectangular field of 40 x 20 with goals of 3x2 m. on each side of the court.
At Santiago 2023, Handball will provide quotas for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

In the picture, a male handball player, holds a ball with their hands to throw it.

History of this sport

In its early days, handball was played 11 against 11 on a football-like court. However, since Scandinavian countries were their main drivers, and are characterized by their cold climate, handball had to change to what we know today: a sport that takes place in closed spaces (indoors) where 2 teams of 7 players face each other.

This mode, characterized by its speed, was played for the first time officially at the 1972 Olympic Games in the men's category. It was not until the next edition of the Olympics that the women's teams were included.

Handball doesn't stand out for being a highly popular sport, but it's getting stronger and stronger. In South America, Brazil, Argentina and Chile have shown a high level of competition in recent times, however, they still cannot match the level of handball leaders: central and northern Europeans.

In Lima 2019, Argentina took the pan American men's title, while in ladies, Brazil took the gold medal.

In the picture, a male handball player, holds a ball with their hands to throw it.

How is it played?

Don't miss any goal, as this sport is very agile! The matches consist of two halves of 30 minutes, the team that scores the most goals is the winner.

The goal area is D-shaped. Only the goalkeeper can enter there, but players can jump into this area when they try to make a pitch, but they must release the ball before touching the floor. That's where we'll see spectacular jumps.

Court players can only hold the ball for up to three seconds and give a maximum of three steps. Goalkeepers can touch the ball with any part of their body while they are in the goal area and are not limited by the three-second/three-step rule.

Quiz

In handball there are four ways to sanction players, do you know them?

Check answer

Information for the community

Handball is becoming more and more popular! Today there are numerous sports clubs competing in the national leagues. We invite you to join this collective sport , where you will only need suitable shoes for indoor courts that cushion your jumps and the desire to learn.

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