The
handball
Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the ...
tournaments at the
2020 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July.
Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...
took place from 24 July to 8 August 2021 at
Yoyogi National Gymnasium
Yoyogi National Gymnasium, officially is an indoor arena located at Yoyogi Park in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, which is famous for its suspension roof design.
It was designed by Kenzo Tange and built between 1961 and 1964 to house swimming ...
in Tokyo.
It was originally scheduled to be held in 2020, but on 24 March 2020, the Olympics were postponed to 2021 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. The pandemic meant that there were no spectators. The format was the same as it has been since 2000 for the men and 2008 for the women: 12 teams in two groups playing round robin followed by knock-out matches for the eight best starting with quarter-finals and ending with final and bronze match.
France took both gold medals as the first team since Yugoslavia in Los Angeles 1984. Both finals were a repetition of the last ones: Denmark versus France for the men and Russia/ROC versus France for the women. In 2016 France lost both matches.
Norway got their second bronze in a row for the woman and Spain got the bronze for the men defeating Egypt, who got their best result ever and became best non-European team for the men. South Korea became best non-European team for the women. The host Japan became last for the women and second last for the men surpassing Argentina.
Most valuable players were
Anna Vyakhireva (ROC) for the women and
Mathias Gidsel (DEN) for the men.
Mikkel Hansen (DEN) broke two records for men at the olympics: most goal in a tournament (61) and most goals in olympic handball (154).
Schedule
Events
Two sets of medals will be awarded in the following events:
*
Men's handball (12 teams)
*
Women's handball (12 teams)
Qualification
The
National Olympic Committee
A National Olympic Committee (NOC) is a national constituent of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, NOCs are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games ...
s might enter only one 14-player men's team and only one 14-player women's team.
Men's qualification
Women's qualification
Medal summary
Medal table
Medalists
Men's tournament
Group stage
The teams were divided into two groups of six nations, playing every team in their group once. Two points were awarded for a victory, one for a draw. The top four teams per group qualified for the quarter-finals.
Group A
Group B
Knockout stage
Final standings
Women's tournament
Group stage
The teams were divided into two groups of six nations, playing every team in their group once. Two points were awarded for a victory, one for a draw. The top four teams per group qualified for the quarter-finals.
Group A
Group B
Knockout stage
Final standings
References
External links
Results book
{{Handball at the Summer Olympics
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...
2020 Summer Olympics events
Olympics
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a vari ...
International handball competitions hosted by Japan