# Handball at the 2020 Summer Olympics

The handball tournaments at the 2020 Summer Olympics took place from 24 July to 8 August 2021 at Yoyogi National Gymnasium 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 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

| DateEvent | Sat 24 | Sun 25 | Mon 26 | Tue 27 | Wed 28 | Thu 29 | Fri 30 | Sat 31 | Sun 1 | Mon 2 | Tue 3 | Wed 4 | Thu 5 | Fri 6 | Sat 7 | Sat 7 | Sun 8 | Sun 8 |
| Men | G | | G | | G | | G | | G | | ¼ | | ½ | | B | F | | |
| Women | | G | | G | | G | | G | | G | | ¼ | | ½ | | | B | F |

## 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 Committees might enter only one 14-player men's team and only one 14-player women's team.

### Men's qualification

| Qualification | Date | Host(s) | Vacancies | Qualified |
| Host nation | — | — | 1 | Japan |
| 2019 World Championship | 10–27 January 2019 | Denmark Germany | 1 | Denmark |
| 2019 Pan American Games | 31 July – 5 August 2019 | Lima | 1 | Argentina |
| AHF Men’s Asian qualification event | 17–26 October 2019 | Doha | 1 | Bahrain |
| 2020 European Championship | 10–26 January 2020 | Austria Norway Sweden | 1 | Spain |
| 2020 African Championship | 16–26 January 2020 | Tunisia | 1 | Egypt |
| 2020 IHF Men's Olympic Qualification Tournaments | 12–14 March 2021 | Podgorica | 2 | Norway Brazil |
| 2020 IHF Men's Olympic Qualification Tournaments | 12–14 March 2021 | Montpellier | 2 | France Portugal |
| 2020 IHF Men's Olympic Qualification Tournaments | 12–14 March 2021 | Berlin | 2 | Sweden Germany |
| Total | | | 12 | |

### Women's qualification

| Qualification | Date | Host | Vacancies | Qualified |
| Host nation | — | — | 1 | Japan |
| 2018 European Championship | 29 November – 16 December 2018 | France | 1 | France |
| 2019 Pan American Games | 24–30 July 2019 | Lima | 1 | Brazil |
| 2019 Asian Qualification Tournament | 23–29 September 2019 | Chuzhou | 1 | South Korea |
| 2019 African Qualification Tournament | 26–29 September 2019 | Dakar | 1 | Angola |
| 2019 World Championship | 29 November – 15 December 2019 | Japan | 1 | Netherlands |
| 2020 IHF Women's Olympic Qualification Tournaments | 19–21 March 2021 | Llíria | 2 | Spain Sweden |
| 2020 IHF Women's Olympic Qualification Tournaments | 19–21 March 2021 | Győr | 2 | ROC Hungary |
| 2020 IHF Women's Olympic Qualification Tournaments | 19–21 March 2021 | Podgorica | 2 | Montenegro Norway |
| Total | | | 12 | |

## Medal summary
### Medal table

| Rank | NOC | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | France | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | Denmark | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | ROC | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Norway | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | Spain | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (5 entries) | Totals (5 entries) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |

### Medalists

| Event | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| Men details | France Luc Abalo Hugo Descat Ludovic Fabregas Yann Genty Vincent Gérard Michaël Guigou Luka Karabatic Nikola Karabatić Romain Lagarde Kentin Mahé Dika Mem Timothey N'Guessan Valentin Porte Nedim Remili Melvyn Richardson Nicolas Tournat | Denmark Lasse Andersson Mathias Gidsel Jóhan Hansen Mikkel Hansen Jacob Holm Emil Jakobsen Niklas Landin Jacobsen Magnus Landin Jacobsen Mads Mensah Larsen Kevin Møller Henrik Møllgaard Morten Olsen Magnus Saugstrup Lasse Svan Henrik Toft Hansen | Spain Julen Aguinagalde Rodrigo Corrales Alex Dujshebaev Raúl Entrerríos Ángel Fernández Adrià Figueras Antonio García Robledo Aleix Gómez Gedeón Guardiola Eduardo Gurbindo Jorge Maqueda Viran Morros Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas Miguel Sánchez-Migallón Daniel Sarmiento Ferran Solé |
| Women details | France Méline Nocandy Blandine Dancette Pauline Coatanea Chloé Valentini Allison Pineau Coralie Lassource Grâce Zaadi Deuna Amandine Leynaud Kalidiatou Niakaté Cléopatre Darleux Océane Sercien-Ugolin Laura Flippes Béatrice Edwige Pauletta Foppa Estelle Nze Minko Alexandra Lacrabère | ROC Anna Sedoykina Polina Kuznetsova Polina Gorshkova Daria Dmitrieva Anna Sen Anna Vyakhireva Polina Vedekhina Vladlena Bobrovnikova Kseniya Makeyeva Elena Mikhaylichenko Olga Fomina Ekaterina Ilina Yulia Managarova Antonina Skorobogatchenko Victoriya Kalinina | Norway Henny Reistad Veronica Kristiansen Marit Malm Frafjord Stine Skogrand Nora Mørk Stine Bredal Oftedal Silje Solberg Kari Brattset Dale Katrine Lunde Marit Røsberg Jacobsen Camilla Herrem Sanna Solberg-Isaksen Kristine Breistøl Marta Tomac Vilde Johansen |

## 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

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | France | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 162 | 148 | +14 | 8 | Quarter-finals |
| 2 | Spain | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 155 | 142 | +13 | 8 | Quarter-finals |
| 3 | Germany | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 146 | 131 | +15 | 6 | Quarter-finals |
| 4 | Norway | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 136 | 132 | +4 | 6 | Quarter-finals |
| 5 | Brazil | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 128 | 145 | −17 | 2 | |
| 6 | Argentina | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 125 | 154 | −29 | 0 | |
* 1 2 France 36–31 Spain
* 1 2 Germany 28–23 Norway

#### Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Denmark | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 174 | 139 | +35 | 8 | Quarter-finals |
| 2 | Egypt | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 154 | 134 | +20 | 8 | Quarter-finals |
| 3 | Sweden | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 144 | 142 | +2 | 8 | Quarter-finals |
| 4 | Bahrain | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 129 | 149 | −20 | 2 | Quarter-finals |
| 5 | Portugal | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 143 | 156 | −13 | 2 | |
| 6 | Japan (H) | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 146 | 170 | −24 | 2 | |
* 1 2 3 Denmark 2 Pts, +2 GD; Egypt 2 Pts, 0 GD, Sweden 2 Pts, −2 GD
* 1 2 3 Bahrain 2 Pts, +1 GD; Portugal 2 Pts, 0 GD, Japan 2 Pts, −1 GD

### Knockout stage

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | | Gold medal | Gold medal |
| 3 August | 3 August | | | |
| France | 42 | | | |
| France | 42 | 5 August | 5 August | | |
| Bahrain | 28 | 5 August | 5 August | |
| Bahrain | 28 | France | 27 | |
| 3 August | 3 August | | France | 27 | |
| 3 August | 3 August | Egypt | 23 | |
| Germany | 26 | Egypt | 23 | |
| Germany | 26 | | | | 7 August | 7 August |
| Egypt | 31 | | | | 7 August | 7 August |
| Egypt | 31 | | | | France | 25 |
| 3 August | 3 August | | | | | France | 25 |
| 3 August | 3 August | | | | Denmark | 23 |
| Sweden | 33 | | | | Denmark | 23 |
| Sweden | 33 | 5 August | 5 August | | | |
| Spain | 34 | 5 August | 5 August | | | |
| Spain | 34 | Spain | 23 | | | |
| 3 August | 3 August | | Spain | 23 | | | |
| 3 August | 3 August | Denmark | 27 | | Bronze medal | Bronze medal |
| Denmark | 31 | Denmark | 27 | | Bronze medal | Bronze medal |
| Denmark | 31 | | | | 7 August | 7 August |
| Norway | 25 | | | | 7 August | 7 August |
| Norway | 25 | | | | Spain | 33 |
| | | | | | Egypt | 31 |

### Final standings

| Rank | Team |
| | France |
| | Denmark |
| | Spain |
| 4 | Egypt |
| 5 | Sweden |
| 6 | Germany |
| 7 | Norway |
| 8 | Bahrain |
| 9 | Portugal |
| 10 | Brazil |
| 11 | Japan |
| 12 | Argentina |

## 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

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Norway | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 170 | 123 | +47 | 10 | Quarter-finals |
| 2 | Netherlands | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 169 | 143 | +26 | 8 | Quarter-finals |
| 3 | Montenegro | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 139 | 142 | −3 | 4 | Quarter-finals |
| 4 | South Korea | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 147 | 165 | −18 | 3 | Quarter-finals |
| 5 | Angola | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 130 | 156 | −26 | 3 | |
| 6 | Japan (H) | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 124 | 150 | −26 | 2 | |
* 1 2 South Korea 31–31 Angola

#### Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Sweden | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 152 | 133 | +19 | 7 | Quarter-finals |
| 2 | ROC | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 148 | 149 | −1 | 7 | Quarter-finals |
| 3 | France | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 139 | 135 | +4 | 5 | Quarter-finals |
| 4 | Hungary | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 142 | 149 | −7 | 4 | Quarter-finals |
| 5 | Spain | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 135 | 142 | −7 | 4 | |
| 6 | Brazil | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 133 | 141 | −8 | 3 | |
* 1 2 Sweden 36–24 ROC
* 1 2 Hungary 29–25 Spain

### Knockout stage

| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | | Gold medal | Gold medal |
| 4 August | 4 August | | | |
| Norway | 26 | | | |
| Norway | 26 | 6 August | 6 August | | |
| Hungary | 22 | 6 August | 6 August | |
| Hungary | 22 | Norway | 26 | |
| 4 August | 4 August | | Norway | 26 | |
| 4 August | 4 August | ROC | 27 | |
| Montenegro | 26 | ROC | 27 | |
| Montenegro | 26 | | | | 8 August | 8 August |
| ROC | 32 | | | | 8 August | 8 August |
| ROC | 32 | | | | ROC | 25 |
| 4 August | 4 August | | | | | ROC | 25 |
| 4 August | 4 August | | | | France | 30 |
| France | 32 | | | | France | 30 |
| France | 32 | 6 August | 6 August | | | |
| Netherlands | 22 | 6 August | 6 August | | | |
| Netherlands | 22 | France | 29 | | | |
| 4 August | 4 August | | France | 29 | | | |
| 4 August | 4 August | Sweden | 27 | | Bronze medal | Bronze medal |
| Sweden | 39 | Sweden | 27 | | Bronze medal | Bronze medal |
| Sweden | 39 | | | | 8 August | 8 August |
| South Korea | 30 | | | | 8 August | 8 August |
| South Korea | 30 | | | | Norway | 36 |
| | | | | | Sweden | 19 |

### Final standings

| Rank | Team |
| | France |
| | ROC |
| | Norway |
| 4 | Sweden |
| 5 | Netherlands |
| 6 | Montenegro |
| 7 | Hungary |
| 8 | South Korea |
| 9 | Spain |
| 10 | Angola |
| 11 | Brazil |
| 12 | Japan |