The International Handball Federation (IHF) and the global handball family today join the world in celebrating the Olympic Day, as the sport celebrates and embraces the Olympic values, while inspiring millions to enjoy the sports and its benefits.

23 June has been celebrated since 1948 as the annual Olympic Day, with the idea of promoting and celebrating the Olympic ideals.

Olympic Day is developing into much more than a run or just a sports event. Based on the pillars of “Move, learn, discover – Together for a better world”, NOCs deploy sports, cultural and educational activities aimed at everybody – regardless of age, gender, social background or sporting ability. Some countries have incorporated the event into the school curriculum and, in recent years, many NOCs have added concerts and exhibitions to the celebration.

This year, the Olympic Day aims to be a global warm up to the Olympic Games Paris 2024, which will start on 26 July, just a little over a month away. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has launched the Let’s Move and Celebrate initiative, created in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), to inspire and encourage people to embrace the joy of movement this summer, with a particular emphasis on iconic athlete celebration moves.

Handball will return for its 14th consecutive appearance at the Olympic Games, with reigning champions France will try to retain their crown in both the women’s and the men’s competitions on their home court.

The handball competitions at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which will see 12 men’s teams and 12 women’s teams compete for the coveted gold medals, will start on 25 July and will take place in the South Paris Arena 6 for the preliminary round and the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille for the knockout phase of the two competitions.

Tuesday, 16 April, the draw for the preliminary round of the handball competition took place in Créteil, France, at the Maison du Handball – The House of Handball.

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will start on 25 July, with the women’s competition, as the men’s competition is due to start two days later, on 27 July. The groups will be played in the South Paris Arena 6, while the knockout phase is hosted by the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille.

The women’s gold medal match will take place on Saturday, 10 August, at 15:00 CEST, while the men’s gold medal match is scheduled one day later, Sunday, 11 August, at 13:30 CEST.