History of Handball

History of Handball

• Handball-style games have ancient roots, with examples including "Urania" in ancient Greece and "Harpaston" in ancient Rome.
• The modern version of handball originated in Denmark, Sweden, and Germany in the late 19th century.

Olympic History

• Handball first appeared at the Berlin 1936 Games as an outdoor sport.
• The indoor version made its Olympic debut at Munich 1972.
• The first women's handball competition was held at the Montreal 1976 Games.
• Handball has been featured at every Olympic Games since then.

International Handball Federation (IHF)

• Founded in 1946, the IHF has 209 member federations.
• The African Handball Confederation (CAHB) was founded on January 15, 1973.

Handball in Africa

• Handball was introduced to Ethiopia in 1960 by Addis Ababa University instructors.
• The Ethiopian Handball Federation was established in 1962.
• Ethiopia became a member of the IHF in 1964.

Court and Gameplay

• The playing court is a 40m x 20m rectangular shape.
• The goal lines are 8cm wide, while all other lines are 5cm wide.
• A standard match consists of two 30-minute halves with a 10-minute half-time break.
• A team consists of up to 14 players, with a maximum of 7 players on the court at a time.

Skills Required

• Handball combines skills such as running, jumping, catching, shooting, dribbling, saving, passing, blocking, and throwing.