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Handball at the Summer Olympics facts for kids

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Handball at the Summer Olympics
Handball pictogram.svg
Governing body IHF
Events 2 (men: 1; women: 1)
Games
  • 1896
  • 1900
  • 1904
  • 1908
  • 1912
  • 1920
  • 1924
  • 1928
  • 1932
  • 1936
  • 1948
  • 1952
  • 1956
  • 1960
  • 1964
  • 1968
  • 1972
  • 1976
  • 1980
  • 1984
  • 1988
  • 1992
  • 1996
  • 2000
  • 2004
  • 2008
  • 2012
  • 2016
  • 2020

  • Medalists

Handball at the Summer Olympics refers to two different sports. Field handball was introduced for men at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, but dropped after that. At the 1952 Olympics, field handball was a demonstration sport. (Indoor) handball was introduced for men at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. Women's handball competition was introduced at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.

Men's tournaments

Summary

Year Host Gold medal match Bronze medal match Teams
Gold medalists Score Silver medalists Bronze medalists Score 4th-place finishers
1936
Details
Nazi Germany
Berlin

Germany
Round robin
Austria

Switzerland
Round robin
Hungary
6
1972
Details
West Germany
Munich

Yugoslavia
21–16
Czechoslovakia

Romania
19–16
East Germany
16
1976
Details
Canada
Montreal

Soviet Union
19–15
Romania

Poland
21–18
West Germany
12
1980
Details
Soviet Union
Moscow

East Germany
23–22 (ET)
Soviet Union

Romania
20–18
Hungary
12
1984
Details
United States
Los Angeles

Yugoslavia
18–17
West Germany

Romania
23–19
Denmark
12
1988
Details
South Korea
Seoul

Soviet Union
32–25
South Korea

Yugoslavia
27–23
Hungary
12
1992
Details
Spain
Barcelona

Unified Team
22–20
Sweden

France
24–20
Iceland
12
1996
Details
United States
Atlanta

Croatia
27–26
Sweden

Spain
27–25
France
12
2000
Details
Australia
Sydney

Russia
28–26
Sweden

Spain
26–22
Yugoslavia
12
2004
Details
Greece
Athens

Croatia
26–24
Germany

Russia
28–26
Hungary
12
2008
Details
China
Beijing

France
28–23
Iceland

Spain
35–29
Croatia
12
2012
Details
United Kingdom
London

France
22–21
Sweden

Croatia
33–26
Hungary
12
2016
Details
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro

Denmark
28–26
France

Germany
31–25
Poland
12
2020
Details
Japan
Tokyo

France
25–23
Denmark

Spain
33–31
Egypt
12
2024
Details
France
Paris
12

Medal table

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1  France (FRA) 3 1 1 5
2  Soviet Union (URS) 2 1 0 3
3  Croatia (CRO) 2 0 1 3
 Yugoslavia (YUG) 2 0 1 3
5  Germany (GER) 1 2 1 4
6  Denmark (DEN) 1 1 0 2
7  Russia (RUS) 1 0 1 2
8  East Germany (GDR) 1 0 0 1
 Unified Team (EUN) 1 0 0 1
10  Sweden (SWE) 0 4 0 4
11  Romania (ROU) 0 1 3 4
12  Austria (AUT) 0 1 0 1
 Czechoslovakia (TCH) 0 1 0 1
 Iceland (ISL) 0 1 0 1
 South Korea (KOR) 0 1 0 1
16  Spain (ESP) 0 0 4 4
17  Poland (POL) 0 0 1 1
 Switzerland (SUI) 0 0 1 1
Totals (18 nations) 14 14 14 42

Participating nations

Legend
  • 1st – Champions
  • 2nd – Runners-up
  • 3rd – Third place
  • 4th – Fourth place
  •  •  – Did not enter / Did not qualify
  •    – Hosts
  • = – More than one team tied for that rank
  • Q – Qualified for forthcoming tournament
Nation Germany
1936
Germany
1972
Canada
1976
Soviet Union
1980
United States
1984
South Korea
1988
Spain
1992
United States
1996
Australia
2000
Greece
2004
China
2008
United Kingdom
2012
Brazil
2016
Japan
2020
France
2024
United States
2028
Australia
2032
Years
 ALG 10th 12th 10th 10th 4
 ARG 10th 10th 12th Q 4
 AUS 12th Q 2
 AUT 2nd 1
 BHR 8th 1
 BRA 12th 11th 10th 11th 7th 10th 6
 CAN 11th 1
 CHN 12th 1
 CRO Part of  YUG 1st 1st 4th 3rd 5th Q 6
 CUB 11th 11th 2
 DEN 13th 8th 9th 4th 7th 6th 1st 2nd Q 9
 EGY 11th 6th 7th 12th 10th 9th 4th Q 8
 FRA 3rd 4th 6th 5th 1st 1st 2nd 1st Q 9
 GER 1st See  GDR and  FRG 10th 7th 5th 2nd 9th 3rd 6th Q 9
 GBR 12th 1
 GRE 6th 1
 HUN 4th 8th 6th 4th 4th 7th 4th 4th Q 9
 ISL 12th 6th 8th 4th 9th 2nd 5th 7
 JPN 11th 9th 10th 11th 11th Q 6
 KUW 12th 12th 2
 NOR 9th 7th Q 3
 POL 10th 3rd 7th 5th 4th 5
 POR 9th 1
 QAT 8th 1
 ROU 5th 3rd 2nd 3rd 3rd 8th 6
 RUS See  URS 5th 1st 3rd 6th 4
 SRB See  YUG See  SCG 9th 1
 SVN Part of  YUG 8th 11th 6th Q 4
 KOR 11th 2nd 6th 9th 8th 8th 11th 7
 ESP 15th 5th 8th 9th 5th 3rd 3rd 7th 3rd 7th 3rd Q 12
 SWE 7th 5th 5th 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 11th 5th Q 10
 SUI 3rd 8th 7th 8th 4
 TUN 16th WD 10th 8th 12th 5
 USA 6th 14th 10th 9th 12th 9th Q 7
Discontinued nations
 TCH 2nd 7th 6th 9th See  CZE 4
 GDR  G 4th 1st 7th See  GER 3
 SCG See  YUG 4th See  SRB 1
 URS 5th 1st 2nd 1st 1st See  RUS 5
 West Germany  G 6th 4th 2nd See  GER 3
 YUG 1st 5th 6th 1st 3rd See  SCG See  SRB 5
Total 6 16 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12

Women's tournaments

Summary

Year Host Gold medal match Bronze medal match Teams
Gold medalists Score Silver medalists Bronze medalists Score 4th-place finishers
1976
Details
Canada
Montreal

Soviet Union
Round robin
East Germany

Hungary
Round robin
Romania
6
1980
Details
Soviet Union
Moscow

Soviet Union
Round robin
Yugoslavia

East Germany
Round robin
Hungary
6
1984
Details
United States
Los Angeles

Yugoslavia
Round robin
South Korea

China
Round robin
West Germany
6
1988
Details
South Korea
Seoul

South Korea
Round robin
Norway

Soviet Union
Round robin
Yugoslavia
8
1992
Details
Spain
Barcelona

South Korea
28–21
Norway

Unified Team
24–20
Germany
8
1996
Details
United States
Atlanta

Denmark
37–33 (ET)
South Korea

Hungary
20–18
Norway
8
2000
Details
Australia
Sydney

Denmark
31–27
Hungary

Norway
22–21
South Korea
10
2004
Details
Greece
Athens

Denmark
34–34 (ET, pen: 4–2)
South Korea

Ukraine
21–18
France
10
2008
Details
China
Beijing

Norway
34–27
Russia

South Korea
33–28
Hungary
12
2012
Details
United Kingdom
London

Norway
26–23
Montenegro

Spain
31–29
South Korea
12
2016
Details
Brazil
Rio de Janeiro

Russia
22–19
France

Norway
36–26
Netherlands
12
2020
Details
Japan
Tokyo

France
30–25
ROC

Norway
36–19
Sweden
12
2024
Details
France
Paris
12

Medal table

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1  Denmark (DEN) 3 0 0 3
2  South Korea (KOR) 2 3 1 6
3  Norway (NOR) 2 2 3 7
4  Soviet Union (URS) 2 0 1 3
5  France (FRA) 1 1 0 2
 Russia (RUS) 1 1 0 2
 Yugoslavia (YUG) 1 1 0 2
8  Hungary (HUN) 0 1 2 3
9  East Germany (GDR) 0 1 1 2
10  Montenegro (MNE) 0 1 0 1
 Russia (RUS) 0 1 0 1
12  China (CHN) 0 0 1 1
 Spain (ESP) 0 0 1 1
 Ukraine (UKR) 0 0 1 1
 Unified Team (EUN) 0 0 1 1
Totals (15 nations) 12 12 12 36

Participating nations

Legend
  • 1st – Champions
  • 2nd – Runners-up
  • 3rd – Third place
  • 4th – Fourth place
  •  •  – Did not enter / Did not qualify
  •    – Hosts
  • = – More than one team tied for that rank
  • Q – Qualified for forthcoming tournament
Nation Canada
1976
Soviet Union
1980
United States
1984
South Korea
1988
Spain
1992
United States
1996
Australia
2000
Greece
2004
China
2008
United Kingdom
2012
Brazil
2016
Japan
2020
France
2024
United States
2028
Australia
2032
Years
 Angola 7th 9th 9th 12th 10th 8th 10th Q 8
 Argentina 12th 1
 Australia 10th Q 2
 Austria 6th 5th 5th 3
 Brazil 8th 7th 9th 6th 5th 11th Q 7
 Canada 6th 1
 China 3rd 6th 5th 8th 6th 5
 Congo 6th 1
 Croatia Part of  Yugoslavia 7th 1
 Denmark 1st 1st 1st 9th Q 5
 France 6th 4th 5th 5th 2nd 1st Q 7
 Germany See  GDR and  FRG 4th 6th 11th Q 4
 Great Britain 12th 1
 Greece 10th 1
 Hungary 3rd 4th 3rd 2nd 5th 4th 7th Q 8
 Ivory Coast 8th 1
 Japan 5th 12th 2
 Kazakhstan Part of  Soviet Union 10th 1
 Montenegro Part of  Yugoslavia Part of  Serbia and Montenegro 2nd 11th 6th 3
 Netherlands 4th 5th Q 3
 Nigeria 8th 1
 Norway 2nd 2nd 4th 3rd 1st 1st 3rd 3rd Q 9
 Romania 4th 7th 7th 9th 4
 Russia See  Soviet Union 2nd 8th 1st 2nd 4
 Slovenia Q 1
 South Korea 2nd 1st 1st 2nd 4th 2nd 3rd 4th 10th 8th Q 11
 Spain 7th 6th 3rd 6th 9th Q 6
 Sweden 8th 11th 7th 4th Q 5
 Ukraine Part of  Soviet Union 3rd 1
 United States 5th 7th 6th 8th Q 5
Discontinued nations
 Czechoslovakia 5th 5th See  Czech Republic 2
 East Germany 2nd 3rd See  Germany 2
 Soviet Union 1st 1st 3rd 3rd See  Russia 4
 West Germany 4th See  Germany 1
 Yugoslavia 2nd 1st 4th See  Serbia and Montenegro See  Serbia 3
Total 6 6 6 8 8 8 10 10 12 12 12 12 12 12 12

Combined medal table

The table below include teams under the name they had at the time. It should be mentioned, though, that URS and EUN is the same team like RUS and ROC is the same.

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1  France (FRA) 4 2 1 7
2  Soviet Union (URS) 4 1 1 6
3  Denmark (DEN) 4 1 0 5
4  Yugoslavia (YUG) 3 1 1 5
5  South Korea (KOR) 2 4 1 7
6  Norway (NOR) 2 2 3 7
7  Russia (RUS) 2 1 1 4
8  Croatia (CRO) 2 0 1 3
9  East Germany (GDR) 1 1 1 3
 Germany (GER) 1 1 1 3
11  Unified Team (EUN) 1 0 1 2
12  Sweden (SWE) 0 4 0 4
13  Romania (ROU) 0 1 3 4
14  Hungary (HUN) 0 1 2 3
15  Austria (AUT) 0 1 0 1
 Czechoslovakia (TCH) 0 1 0 1
 Iceland (ISL) 0 1 0 1
 Montenegro (MNE) 0 1 0 1
 Russia (RUS) 0 1 0 1
 West Germany (FRG) 0 1 0 1
21  Spain (ESP) 0 0 5 5
22  China (CHN) 0 0 1 1
 Poland (POL) 0 0 1 1
 Switzerland (SUI) 0 0 1 1
 Ukraine (UKR) 0 0 1 1
Totals (25 nations) 26 26 26 78

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Balonmano en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños

  • List of Olympic venues in handball
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