Paris 2024: schedule of events, history, athletes, rules, handball at the Olympic Games

The Olympic Games are an opportunity to thrill to our favorite sports, but also to discover new passions by exploring other disciplines. Among the team sports scheduled for the Paris 2024 Olympics is Handball. This ball sport promises to be a real eye-catcher, thanks to its technical nature and the spectacular performances of its athletes. Want to find out more about this sport? We'll tell you everything you need to know about it: its history, its rules and how the events are run. Here's what you need to know about Handball.

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The History of Handball

First things first: thehistory of handball. The origins of the modern seven-player Scandinavian sport date back to the 19th century and are generally attributed to Denmark. However,Germany is also considered to be the discipline's second mother country, with the creation of eleven-a-side handball by Carl Schelenz of the German Normal School of Physical Education in Leipzig.

Today, handball is generally played indoors in gymnasiums, but it can also be played outdoors. In fact, eleven-a-side handball was originally played on grass, and there's even a four-player version on sand: beach handball.

Eleven-a-side handball was first introduced at the 1936 Olympic Games in Germany. It was then gradually abandoned in favor of 7-a-side handball, which was included in the Olympic Games program in 1972 for the men's events and in 1976 for the women's events.

But what exactly are the rules of handball?

Modern handball is played on a rectangular 40x20-meter pitch divided in two. Each team consists of 7 players, including a goalkeeper. The classic team breakdown generally comprises two wingers, two full-backs, a center-half and a pivot. Each match is played in two 30-minute periods separated by a half-time interval.

The idea is to get the ball into the opponent's goal and score more points than the opposition before the time runs out. Players can only handle the ball with their hands, and the player in possession of the ball can dribble forward or pass to team-mates. He may only take three steps without dribbling, and may not hold the ball still for more than three seconds.

It's a sport in which attacking play is particularly encouraged, with recent rules allowing the goalkeeper to be replaced by an attacking player, for example. On the other hand, to score a goal, players must shoot outside the goalkeeper's zone, which is delimited by a semicircle with a 6-meter radius. This gives rise to powerful shots, often in full jump, and spectacular precision, especially when the sport is played at a high level. All the more reason to follow this sport at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games!

Handball at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games: how do the events unfold?

For the Paris Olympic Games, the Handball tournament matches take place from July 25 to August 11, 2024. 12 women's and 12 men's teams will compete in these events. The preliminary phases will take place at the Arena Paris Sud 6, near Porte de Versailles in the 15th arrondissement of the capital.

As for the finals, they will be held in northern France, on the territory of the Lille European Metropolis in Villeneuve d'Ascq, at Stade Pierre Mauroy.

Handball at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games: the favourite nations

European nations are particularly prominent in handball, dominating the sport's Olympic honours list. South Korea is the only exception to the rule, with two victories in women's tournaments, one in Seoul in 1988, the second in Barcelona in 1992.

Among the nations particularly feared for the Paris 2024 Olympics are France, Denmark, Sweden or Iceland on the men's side. As for the women's tournament, Norway, France and Denmark are among the favorites.

The program at the Paris Olympics

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