Sport in Pakistan is a significant part of Pakistani culture. Cricket is the most popular sport in Pakistan. Football has also gained popularity in recent years, and is the second most popular sport in the country. Field hockey is the national sport, and was popular for several decades, with some of Pakistan's greatest sporting accomplishments having taken place in this sport, along with squash. Polo and traditional sports like kabaddi and other well-known games are also played.
The Egyptian national handball team is the national handball team of Egypt, which represents Egypt in international matches. It is supervised by the Egyptian Handball Federation. Egypt was the first non-European team to reach the semifinals of the World Championships, and the first African team to reach the semifinals in the Olympic tournament.
The India men's national field hockey team represents India in international field hockey competitions, and is governed by Hockey India. The team was formerly under the control of Indian Hockey Federation. India was the first non-European team to be a part of the International Hockey Federation. India's hockey team is the most successful team ever in the Olympics, having won a total of eight gold medals – in 1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1964 and 1980.
The Pakistan national field hockey team represents Pakistan in international field hockey. Having played its first match in 1948, it is administered by the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), the governing body for hockey in Pakistan. It has been a member of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) since 1948 and was founding member of the Asian Hockey Federation (ASHF), which was formed in 1958. Pakistan is one of the most successful national field hockey teams in the world with a record four Hockey World Cup wins.
Ivano Balić is a Croatian former professional handballer who is currently part of the coaching staff at RK Split. Renowned for his speed, creativity, movement and charisma as a player, Balić won the 2003 World Championship and the Olympic gold medal in 2004 with the Croatian national team, and thirteen titles playing for clubs in Croatia, Spain and Germany. He also received two World Championship silver medals, two silver and one bronze European Championship medal, and one Olympic bronze medal (2012) with the national team.
The Denmark men's national handball team is controlled by the Danish Handball Association and represents Denmark in international matches. They are the team with the fourth most medals won in European Championship history on the men's side behind Sweden, France and Spain, with a total of seven medals. Two of these are gold medals, one silver (2014) and four bronze medals.
The Denmark women's national handball team is the national team of Denmark. It is governed by the Danish Handball Federation (DHF).
Nikola Karabatić is a French Serbo-Croatian born professional handball player for Paris Saint-Germain and the French national team.
The South Korea women's national handball team is the national team of South Korea. Since 1984 the Korean team has not only participated constantly in Olympic Games but also ranked among the top four nations every time until 2012. Korea grabbed the gold medal in 1988 and 1992, won the silver medal in 1984, 1996, 2004 and took bronze medal in 2008. They have earned two World Championship medals so far: In 1995, they also won the World Championship title in Austria/Hungary 1995 World Women's Handball Championship, they came off third to secure the bronze medal at the Croatia in 2003 World Women's Handball Championship. It is a twelve time Asian Champion, the tournament has been won by any other nation only twice.
Mikkel Hansen is a Danish professional handball player for Aalborg Håndbold and the Danish national team.
India has a history of sports dating back to the Vedic period. Cricket is the most popular spectator sport; it generates the highest television viewership, with the Indian Premier League (IPL) being the most-followed league in the country. Football has also gained popularity, with the Indian Super League (ISL) being the highest level of domestic football, and the national team winning multiple gold medals at the Asian and South Asian Games. Additional football accomplishments include India having reached the Groupstage of the 1960 Olympics, qualified for the 1950 FIFA World Cup, and won the SAFF Championship. Other sports include kabaddi, badminton, tennis, and athletics, with kho-kho becoming the fourth-most viewed sport. India has also had success in field hockey, winning the World Cup and multiple medals in the Olympic Games. Sports such as golf, rugby, boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, motorsport, wrestling, and basketball are featured throughout the country.
Stine Bredal Oftedal is a Norwegian professional handball player for Győri ETO KC and the Norwegian national team, where she is the team captain. She is three times world champion and five times European champion with the Norwegian national team. Oftedal has several times announced her retiring from international handball after the Summer Olympics of 2024.
2017 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.
The 2021 IHF World Men's Handball Championship was the 27th event hosted by the International Handball Federation and held in Egypt from 13 to 31 January 2021.
The 2023 IHF World Men's Handball Championship was the 28th such event hosted by the International Handball Federation. It was held in Poland and Sweden from 11 to 29 January 2023.
The Indian women's national handball team is the national team for Handball in India. It is governed by the Handball Association India.
Henny Ella Reistad is a Norwegian professional handball player for Team Esbjerg and the Norwegian national team.
The 2023 IHF World Women's Handball Championship was the 26th edition of the championship, organised by the International Handball Federation (IHF) from 29 November to 17 December 2023 and jointly hosted by Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It was the third time in handball history that the championship is jointly hosted, the first in Sweden, and also the first to be played in three countries.
The handball tournaments at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France will be held from 25 July to 11 August 2024. Preliminary pool matches will occur at South Paris Arena 6, with the final phase staged at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille. The format remains the same since 2000 for the men and 2008 for the women, as twelve teams in two groups battle each other in the round robin, followed by the knockout matches for the top eight starting with the quarterfinals and ending with the final and bronze match.
The men's qualification for the Olympic handball tournament occurred between January 2023 and March 2024, assigning quota places to the twelve squads for the Games: the hosts, the world champion, four continental events winners, and six teams from the IHF World Olympic qualifying tournaments, respectively.
