The match between France and Germany in the quarter-finals of the men’s handball competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games broke the attendance record for handball matches at the current edition of the Olympics with 27,014 spectators in the stands of the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille.
 
It was also the occasion for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President, Dr Thomas Bach, to meet with the International Handball Federation (IHF) President, Dr Hassan Moustafa, with Dr Bach making the trip from Paris to Lille to watch one of the most dramatic matches in the recent editions of the Olympic Games.


 
Handball, which made its debut at the Olympics in 1936 and has been a part of the Games in every edition since 1972, has been seeing a growing popularity throughout the world with a new record attendance for a women’s handball match set on Tuesday, 6 August, when 26,548 spectators saw the match between France and Germany.
 
Dr Bach spent over three hours in the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille, first meeting several athletes who compete in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games such as Spain’s Sergey Hernandez, Petar Cikusa and Adrian Figueras, as well as Germany’s Justus Fischer and the Germany women’s national team coach, Markus Gaugisch.

Two of the women referee pairs active in the handball competitions of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Argentina’s Mariana García and María Inés Paolantoni, and Germany’s Meike Merz and Tania Kuttler, were also present, underlining the IHF’s direction for equal representation.
 
A working lunch was then organised with several members of the IHF and the IOC in attendance, where several topics were discussed before both Dr Bach and Dr Moustafa took a seat in the stands and watched Germany’s 35:34 overtime win against France in a fantastic setting in Lille.


 
The IOC President expressed his admiration for the hugely developed speed of the game of handball and congratulated the IHF President for the outstanding performance of the teams, the level of the athletes, as well as for ensuring that the two arenas hosting the handball competitions were virtually sold-out throughout the two competitions.
 
With a tightly-knit relationship between the IOC and the IHF, the collaboration promises exciting developments that will enhance the global handball community and inspire the next generation of players and fans.