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Team Handball

The Olympic sport of team handball is not to be confused with the game played against a wall with a small rubber ball. In this game, men use a ball 58-60 cm in circumference, and women use a ball 54-56 cm in circumference. Team handball incorporates moves such as dribbling and passing. The court, which resembles a basketball court, is 40 meters long and 20 meters wide. Each team has seven players—six on the court and one goalie.

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Scoring
The object of the game is to score the highest number of points by throwing the ball into the opponent's goal, which is 2 meters high and 3 meters wide.

Competition
The game is played in 30-minute halves. The rapid, continuous play is marked by spectacular leaps and dives. Players may take three steps before and after a dribble. If not moving, the player may only hold the ball for three seconds; the player must then either move, score, or pass the ball to another team member.

Meanwhile, the other team is trying to gain possession of the ball by either snatching it away or intercepting a pass. The goalie may use any part of the body to defend the goal. Both men and women compete separately during tournament style competition. After several days of preliminary rounds, finalists advance to the gold-medal game.

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Olympians will compete in dozens of sports this summer. Even though Gateway to the Summer Games can't feature them all, you can learn about each and every one by visiting the sites listed below.


Portions of the above text were excerpted from Share the Olympic Dream--Volume II.
© 2001 by Griffin Publishing Group/United States Olympic Committee.

For information on purchasing Griffin materials, please visit the Griffin Publishing Group Web site at http://www.griffinpublishing.com.

 

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