Australia and Olympic Handball

Australia’s men’s and women’s teams have never qualified for the Olympic handball competition. Both teams did compete at Sydney 2000 by virtue of Australia being the host nation.

Olympic History

Handball became an Olympic sport in Berlin in 1936, with the gold medal being won by Germany. The eleven-a-side form of the game did not reappear on the Olympic program after World War II and its popularity began to wane.

Because of the harsher climatic conditions, particularly in Scandinavia, a seven-a-side indoor game was developing with countries from Eastern Europe also quick to take up the indoor version.

The sport reappeared in the indoor form, once again for men only at the Munich Olympic Games in 1972. The women’s competition was introduced four years later in Montreal and both have remained on the Olympic program ever since.

Gold Medal Winner from the Past Three Olympic Games

Men's Tournament
Atlanta 1996 - CROATIA
Sydney 2000 - RUSSIA
Athens 2004 - CROATIA

Women's Tournament
Atlanta 1996 - DENMARK
Sydney 2000 - DENMARK
Athens 2004 - DENMARK