Handball is an exciting, fast-paced sport that deserves greater popularity. It is a hybrid of basketball and soccer. The ball is moved down the court by passing and dribbling, as in basketball, instead of being shot into a basket, the ball is thrown past a goalie and into a goal, as in soccer. There are 7 players to a team.

There are numerous positions which are played by each member of the team, including:

• Goalie
• Big shooters: usually tall and good jumpers
• Middle back court players: direct the offensive
• Wings: smaller, faster players who shoot from different angles
• Circle runners: large and aggressive players who set screens and picks for other shooters as well as shooting themselves.

Players are allowed to take 3 steps before and after dribbling the ball. The ball may not be held for more than 3 seconds without dribbling or passing. The court is 40m long and 2m high. The goal area extends 6m from the goals. Only the goalie is permitted to enter this area. A player may take off outside the goal area and leap toward the goal as long as the shot is released before they land.

Penalty throws are usually awarded when a player is fouled in an act of shooting. It is taken from 7m out, with only the goalie between the shooter and the goal. Handball games are divided into 2, 30- minute halves. In the preliminary matches ties are allowed to stand. Beginning with the semi-finals, a 10 minute overtime period is played. If the games are still tied, the teams play for 10 more minutes. After that, if the games are still tied, the match is decided by penalty throws.

Handball became an Olympic sport in 1936 as an outdoor 11 a side game. It was reintroduced in 1972 as a 7 a side competition. It will take place in Pavilion 3 and the Dome, which are located in Sydney Olympic Park.

Handball:Top 5 Countries

	G	S	B	G	S	B	Total
Soviet Union	3	1	-	2	-	2	8
Yugoslavia	2	-	1	1	1	-	5
Korea	-	1	-	2	1	-	4
Romania	-	1	3	-	-	-	4
GDR	1	-	-	-	1	1	3