History of European Team Handball

Introduction

Team handball is one of the most distinctive European team sports, with continuous documented practice from late 19th-century Danish and German origins through the modern Olympic and professional handball tradition. The team handball tradition has been shaped by Danish handball (håndbold) tradition, German Raffballspiel and Torball tradition, Czechoslovak hazená tradition, and various European handball traditions. The modern global handball landscape is anchored by the International Handball Federation (IHF, founded 1946 at Copenhagen), the European Handball Federation (EHF, founded 1991), the IHF World Championships (held biennially since 1938 for men and since 1957 for women), the Olympic handball tradition (held at every Summer Olympics since 1972 for men and 1976 for women), the EHF Champions League (the principal European club handball championship, established 1956-57), and various national handball federations. This article surveys the full history of team handball from 19th-century European origins through the modern Olympic and professional handball tradition.

Danish and German Origins

Team handball extends from late 19th-century Danish and German origins. The principal late 19th-century Danish handball (håndbold) tradition produced foundational handball innovations. The 1898 Holger Nielsen's Ordrup Latin School handball codification at Ordrup near Copenhagen established the principal modern Danish handball tradition. Holger Nielsen (1866-1955), the Danish gymnastics and athletics instructor at Ordrup Latin School, codified the modern Danish indoor handball tradition. The principal late 19th-century German Raffballspiel tradition and German Torball (goal ball) tradition produced foundational handball innovations. The 1917 Berlin Sportschule Konrad Koch handball codification at Berlin established the principal modern German handball tradition. Konrad Koch (1846-1911) and Max Heiser's German handball codification extended the principal modern German handball tradition. The 1919 Karl Schelenz's Berlin Sportschule indoor handball codification extended the principal modern indoor handball tradition. Karl Schelenz (1890-1956), the German handball pioneer, codified the modern indoor handball tradition.

1946 IHF Founding at Copenhagen

The 1946 International Handball Federation (IHF) founding at Copenhagen by Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, French, Dutch, Polish, and Swiss national federations established the principal international handball sanctioning body. The 1946 IHF founding established the principal international handball sanctioning body, replacing the 1928 International Amateur Handball Federation (which dissolved during World War II). The 1938 first IHF World Championship at Berlin (Germany defeating Switzerland in the indoor handball World Championship) established the principal IHF World Championships tradition. The continued IHF World Championships biennially since 1938 (subsequently annually for various age categories) has continued through subsequent decades. The 1957 first IHF Women's World Championship at Yugoslavia established the principal IHF Women's World Championships tradition. The continued IHF Women's World Championships biennially since 1957 has continued through subsequent decades.

Olympic Handball at Munich 1972

The 1972 Munich Summer Olympics indoor handball debut established the principal modern Olympic handball tradition. The 1972 Munich Summer Olympics indoor handball gold medal was won by Yugoslavia (defeating Czechoslovakia in the final). The 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics included women's handball as an Olympic sport for the first time. The 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics women's handball gold medal was won by the Soviet Union. The continued Olympic handball tradition at every Summer Olympics since 1972 for men and since 1976 for women has continued through subsequent decades. Principal Olympic handball winners include Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union, East Germany, Romania, France (multiple Olympic handball gold medals across subsequent decades), Croatia, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, South Korea, and various other principal Olympic handball winners. The continued Olympic handball broadcast tradition has continued through subsequent decades.

French National Team Dominance

The French national handball team dominance through subsequent decades has produced extraordinary results. The French national handball team (les Experts and les Bleues) produced extraordinary results across subsequent decades. The French men's national handball team won three Olympic gold medals (2008 Beijing, 2012 London, and 2020 Tokyo — the only national team in any era to win three consecutive Olympic men's handball gold medals through subsequent decades). The French men's national handball team won six IHF World Championships (1995, 2001, 2009, 2011, 2015, and 2017). The French men's national handball team won three EHF European Championships (2006, 2010, and 2014). Principal French national team players include Jackson Richardson (the principal French handball captain across 1990s-2000s), Daniel Narcisse, Nikola Karabatic (the multiple-time IHF World Player of the Year and the principal modern French handball captain), Luc Abalo, Thierry Omeyer, Michaël Guigou, and various other principal French national team players.

EHF Champions League

The EHF Champions League, the principal European club handball championship, was established in 1956-57. The 1956-57 first European Cup at Dukla Prague extended the principal European club handball championship. The continued EHF Champions League annually since 1956-57 has continued through subsequent decades. Principal EHF Champions League winners include FC Barcelona Handbol (multiple EHF Champions League titles across subsequent decades), HSV Hamburg, THW Kiel, Vardar Skopje, Ciudad Real, Veszprém, Magdeburg, Paris Saint-Germain Handball, and various other principal EHF Champions League winners. The continued EHF Champions League broadcast tradition has continued through subsequent decades. The continued EHF Champions League commercial development has continued through subsequent decades. Various other European club handball championships including the EHF European League (formerly EHF Cup), the EHF Cup, and other European club handball championships have continued through subsequent decades.

Handball Technique and Equipment

Modern competitive team handball involves the handball (the principal handball, approximately 58-60 cm circumference for men and 54-56 cm for women, made of leather or synthetic material). The competitive handball team includes 7 players per team (one goalkeeper and six outfield players). The competitive handball court is approximately 40 m × 20 m. The principal competitive handball positions include goalkeeper, left wing, left back, center back, right back, right wing, and pivot (line player). The competitive handball duration is two halves of 30 minutes each. The principal competitive handball techniques include the jump shot (the principal handball offensive technique), the running shot, the dive shot, and various other handball techniques. The principal handball defensive techniques include the principal defensive formation (6-0, 5-1, 3-2-1, and various other defensive formations). The continued handball equipment manufacturing tradition has continued through subsequent decades.

National Team Traditions

Various national handball traditions through subsequent decades have continued. The German national handball team produced extraordinary results, including the 2007 IHF World Championship (the principal German national team World Championship victory). The German Bundesliga (the principal German professional handball league) has continued through subsequent decades, with principal Bundesliga clubs including THW Kiel, HSV Hamburg, Magdeburg, Flensburg-Handewitt, Berlin Füchse, Rhein-Neckar Löwen, and various other principal Bundesliga clubs. The Danish national handball team produced extraordinary results, including the 2019 and 2021 IHF World Championships and the 2016 Rio Olympic gold medal. The Norwegian women's national handball team produced extraordinary results across subsequent decades. The Hungarian, Spanish, Croatian, Slovenian, Macedonian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Russian, Belarusian, Romanian, Brazilian, Egyptian, and various other national handball teams have continued through subsequent decades.

Modern Handball Stars

Principal modern handball stars include Nikola Karabatic (the French handball player, multiple-time IHF World Player of the Year), Mikkel Hansen (the Danish handball player, multiple-time IHF World Player of the Year), Domagoj Duvnjak (the Croatian handball player), Sander Sagosen (the Norwegian handball player), Stine Bredal Oftedal (the Norwegian women's handball player, multiple-time IHF World Player of the Year), Cristina Neagu (the Romanian women's handball player, multiple-time IHF World Player of the Year), Anita Görbicz (the Hungarian women's handball player), Andrea Leki? (the Serbian women's handball player), Bojana Popovi? (the Montenegrin women's handball player), Filip Jícha (the Czech handball player), Luc Abalo (the French handball player), Niklas Landin Jacobsen (the Danish handball goalkeeper, multiple-time IHF World Player of the Year), and various other principal modern handball stars. The continued modern handball star tradition has continued through subsequent decades.

Handball Culture and Broadcast Tradition

Handball culture extends substantially beyond the competitive handball tradition. The principal European handball cultural tradition has continued through subsequent decades. The principal German, French, Spanish, Scandinavian, Eastern European, and Balkan handball cultural traditions have continued through subsequent decades. The principal European handball broadcast tradition through ARD, ZDF, France Télévisions, BeIN Sports, DAZN, EHF TV, and various other principal European broadcasters has continued through subsequent decades. The continued European handball broadcast development has continued through subsequent decades. The continued European handball commercial development has continued through subsequent decades. The principal European handball cultural tradition has continued through subsequent decades. The handball tradition has continued to be one of the principal European team sports cultural identity markers across Europe.

The Future of Handball, Conclusion, and Sources

The future of handball faces significant questions in the third decade of the twenty-first century. The continued IHF development, EHF Champions League continuation, Olympic handball continuation, World Championships continuation, broadcast development, globalization of the handball talent pool, and traditional European handball preservation will continue to shape the handball landscape. The continued IHF and EHF handball governance development through subsequent decades will continue to shape the handball tradition. IHF World Championships, EHF European Championships, Olympic handball, EHF Champions League, EHF European League, German Bundesliga, French Lidl Starligue, Spanish Liga ASOBAL, and other principal handball championships will continue through subsequent decades. Individual handball figures will continue to shape the handball tradition. The continued careers of Nikola Karabatic, Mikkel Hansen, Sander Sagosen, Stine Bredal Oftedal, Cristina Neagu, and various other modern handball figures will continue to shape the handball legacy. Yet the basic principle of handball — the fundamental European team sports tradition that has underpinned the European team sports cultural identity since the 19th century Danish and German origins — has shaped the European team sports cultural tradition for more than 130 years and continues to be one of the principal European team sports cultural identity markers. Sources include: Hans-Dieter Trosse, Handball: Eine internationale Geschichte (Limpert, 2002); BBC Sport coverage, bbc.co.uk/sport; IHF archives, ihf.info; EHF archives, eurohandball.com.