History Handball

The game was codified at the end of the 19th century in northern Europe, chiefly in Scandinavia and Germany. The modern set of rules was published in 1917 in Germany, and had several revisions since. The first international games were played under these rules for men in 1925 and for women in 1930. Men’s handball was first played at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin as outdoors, and the next time at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich as indoors, and has been an Olympics sport since. Women’s team handball was added at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
The International Handball Federation was formed in 1946, and as of 2013 has 174 member federations. The sport is most popular in continental Europe, whose countries have won every single medal in men’s world championships since 1938, and all women’s titles until 2013, when Brazil broke the series. The game also enjoys popularity in Far East, north Africa and Brazil.
(Wikipedia)