A Handball player makes a flying leap with the ball in hand

Handball

Similar to basketball, but this is when less is more.

An aggressive tackle in a game of handball

A woman player makes a play in a game of handball

Teams of seven players pass and dribble a ball up the court to throw the ball into the opposition's goal, which happens often: spectators might see 60 goals or more in a single match. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins. There has been a recent push to challenge european dominance in the sport.

A Handball player is tackled mid-air with the ball in hand

Handball was created and developed in Denmark, Sweden and Germany in the late 19th century. Originally played outdoors as field handball, the sport first appeared at the Berlin 1936 Games. The modern indoor version made its Olympic debut at Munich 1972. The first women's competition was held at the Montreal 1976 Games. Handball has featured at every Olympic Games since. The International Handball Federation (IHF), founded in 1946, is the administrative and governing body of handball and beach handball. The IHF has 209 member federations. Twelve teams will compete in both the men's and women's competitions at Tokyo 2020. Teams will begin in a group phase with the top eight nations progressing into the knockout phase of the tournament.