2020 Olympics - Handball in the heart of Tokyo

Published on : 24/04/2019
by : J.R.

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Yoyogi National Stadium

Appearing at the beginning of the 20th century, handball became an Olympic sport for the first time in 1936. During the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, the events will take place at the Yoyogi Olympic Gymnasium, in the so-called "Heritage" zone.

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The history of handball

Handball was born in its first form in Denmark, under the name håndbold, where its rules were created in 1898. But it was in 1919 that a German professor of sports education created handball with eleven players on the lawn. It was in this form that it was played for the first time at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Handball is then more similar to soccer.

The international handball federation was founded in 1946, while that of France was definitively born in 1952 after its first form had been dissolved in 1944. Eleven-a-side handball was then gradually abandoned in the 1960s, in favor of handball. with 7 players and in the gymnasium. It was therefore only in 1972 that handball, in the form we know today, was admitted to the Munich Olympics. Women's competition was born at the Montreal Olympics in 1976. However, it was not until the 2008 Olympics that there were as many women's teams as men's (i.e. 12) in the running - indeed, only 6 women's teams competed in 1976.

Top-level handball is mostly dominated by European teams. South Korea in women's is thus the only non-European team to have won the Olympic title. Russia is the nation that has won the most Olympic titles.

How's it going?

Handball sees two teams of 7 players compete on a covered court of 40 meters by 20 meters. Each game lasts 60 min, split into two halves. Players handle the ball only with their hands, are allowed to dribble, and can only take three steps without dribbling. A player cannot hold the ball for more than three seconds if he remains stationary.

Read also: Olympic Games 2020: Basketball

Handball at the 2020 Olympics

During the Olympic Games in Tokyo, the events will be held every day between July 25 and August 9, 2020. The two finals will take place on Saturday, August 8, and Sunday, August 9. Denmark in men and Russia in women thus challenge their Olympic title acquired in Rio in 2016.

The qualified countries are Japan, the host country, but also the future winners of the World Championships, continental tournaments, and Olympic qualifying tournaments.

To go further: The Tokyo Olympics calendar

Twelve qualified nations will be divided into two groups, each made up of six teams. After the group stage, the first four teams in each group qualify for a knockout round, until the grand final.

All handball matches will be held in one place, in the heart of Tokyo: Yoyogi Olympic Gymnasium (国立代々木競技場). The latter is a large multi-purpose hall, located in Yoyogi Park, not far from the Harajuku district. It was designed by architect Kenzo Tange, who also designed the Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Museum in Hiroshima.

The gymnasium was built between 1961 and 1964 with the main purpose of hosting the swimming and diving events of the 1964 Olympic Games. It houses 13,921 places. It has been used regularly since the 1960s, especially for hockey and basketball matches. In particular, it hosted the 2010 World Judo Championships.

Handball enthusiasts will be able to follow all the handball matches of the competition very easily, in particular those of the French women's team, which has already qualified thanks to its victory in the European Championship in 2018.

The Yoyogi Stadium has the advantage of being extremely central, and close to tourist spots, such as the Harajuku fashion district and its Cat Street, the Meiji Shrine in Yoyogi Park, or even the Shibuya district. After a match, don't forget to relax on the vast lawns of Yoyogi par located just opposite. The gymnasium is also directly accessible on foot from the other nearby event sites, the Olympic Stadium and the Metropolitan Gymnasium.

To read: The Meiji-jingu shrine and Ura-Harajuku

How to get to Yoyogi Stadium?

To have the chance to follow a handball match at the Gymnase Yoyogi, nothing could be simpler. The latter is very close to Harajuku station, on the JR Yamanote circular line. You can also get off at Meiji-Jingu Mae station, which is served by the Chiyoda and Fukutoshin lines.

Address: 2-chōme-1-1 Jinnan, Shibuya, 150-004 Tokyo

Read: Traveling to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Discover our complete file on the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020

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