Handball

In handball two teams of seven (including a goalkeeper) pass the ball by hand and try to throw it into the opponents' goal. A match lasts 2×30 minutes, and a player may not hold the ball for more than three steps or three seconds. Beach handball is played on sand.

History

Modern handball emerged in Denmark and Germany around the turn of the twentieth century. Outdoor field handball featured at the 1936 Berlin Olympics; indoor handball has been on the programme since 1972 for men and 1976 for women. The International Handball Federation (IHF) was founded in 1946.

Major competitions

The Olympic Games, the World and European Championships, the EHF Champions League (men and women) and the Asian Championship.

Handball in the Turkic world

Hungary's women became world champions in 1965 and European champions in 2000, and won silver at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. The men's team took silver at the 1986 World Championship. The Győr women's club has won the EHF Champions League many times, and Veszprém is one of Europe's strongest men's clubs. Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan also run national leagues.