Handball at the Asian Games facts for kids

Handball is a fast-paced team sport. It's like a mix of soccer and basketball, but you use your hands! Two teams try to score goals by throwing a ball into the opponent's net. Handball became an event at the Asian Games in 1982. The very first handball games were played in New Delhi, India.

Handball Champions at the Asian Games

Handball has been a popular sport at the Asian Games for many years. Teams from all over Asia compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals. Let's look at some of the top teams and how they've performed.

Men's Handball Winners

The men's handball competition has seen several strong teams over the years.

• South Korea has been very successful. They won many gold medals, especially in the early years. They took home the gold in 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, and 2010.
• Qatar has also become a dominant force more recently. They won gold in 2014, 2018, and 2022.
• China won the very first men's handball gold medal in 1982.
• Kuwait also managed to win a gold medal in 2006.

Some of the finals were very close! For example, in 2002, South Korea beat Kuwait by just one goal (22-21). In 2018, Qatar won against Bahrain in overtime, showing how intense the matches can be.

Women's Handball Winners

The women's handball competition has also had its share of exciting matches.

• South Korea has been incredibly strong in women's handball. They have won the gold medal many times, including in 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2014, and 2018.
• China won the gold medal in 2010, breaking South Korea's winning streak.
• Japan won their first gold medal in 2022, showing their growing strength in the sport.

Many women's finals were not decided by a single playoff game but by how teams performed throughout the tournament. This shows how consistently good the winning teams were.

Medal Count by Country

The medal table shows which countries have won the most medals in handball at the Asian Games. It's a great way to see which nations are the strongest in this sport.

Overall Medals

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	South Korea (KOR)	13	2	3	18
2	Qatar (QAT)	3	1	1	5
3	China (CHN)	2	3	4	9
4	Japan (JPN)	1	6	6	13
5	Kuwait (KUW)	1	2	1	4
6	Bahrain (BRN)	0	2	1	3
	Kazakhstan (KAZ)	0	2	1	3
8	Iran (IRI)	0	1	1	2
9	North Korea (PRK)	0	1	0	1
10	Chinese Taipei (TPE)	0	0	1	1
	Saudi Arabia (KSA)	0	0	1	1
Totals (11 entries)		20	20	20	60

Men's Medals

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	KOR	6	1	2	9
2	QAT	3	1	1	5
3	KUW	1	2	1	4
4	CHN	1	1	1	3
5	JPN	0	3	3	6
6	BHR	0	2	1	3
7	IRN	0	1	1	2
8	KSA	0	0	1	1
Totals (8 entries)		11	11	11	33

Women's Medals

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	South Korea	7	1	1	9
2	Japan	1	3	3	7
3	China	1	2	3	6
4	Kazakhstan	0	2	1	3
5	North Korea	0	1	0	1
6	Chinese Taipei	0	0	1	1
Totals (6 entries)		9	9	9	27

Participating Countries in Handball

Many different countries from Asia have sent their handball teams to compete in the Asian Games. This shows how popular the sport is across the continent.

Men's Teams

Over the years, teams like Japan and South Korea have participated in every men's handball tournament since it started in 1982. Other countries, such as China, Kuwait, and Qatar, have also been regular competitors. The number of teams playing has grown, from 8 teams in 1982 to 13 teams in recent games. This means more countries are getting involved in handball!

Women's Teams

For women's handball, South Korea, China, and Japan have consistently participated in the games. Kazakhstan and Thailand have also been frequent participants. The women's tournament started in 1990 with 6 teams and has grown to 9 or 10 teams in recent years. This shows the increasing interest in women's handball too.

List of Medal Winners

If you want to see a full list of all the athletes who have won medals in handball at the Asian Games, you can check out this detailed page:

See also

In Spanish: Balonmano en los Juegos Asiáticos para niños