Handball

Handball is an indoor sport characterised by its high speed, where teams strive to score points by throwing a ball into a goal resembling those used in football, complete with posts and a crossbar. Handball originated in Scandinavia and Germany during the late 19th century. Initially, the game was played outdoors with 11 players in each team and was called field handball. Indoor handball was introduced to Sweden in 1910 by G. Wallström.

From 1938 to 1966, separate world championships were held for both variants of handball. Since 1967, only indoor handball world championships have been held. Field handball was played at the Olympics just once, at Berlin 1936. Later, it was showcased as a demonstration sport at the Helsinki 1952 Games. Indoor handball made its debut at the Olympics at Munich 1972. Women's handball made its Olympic debut in 1976.