The wait is almost over now, as the handball competitions at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 begin in just a week’s time with 24 teams, 12 men’s and 12 women’s.
 
The opening ceremony of Tokyo 2020 is scheduled for 23 July, with the men’s tournament throwing off on 24 July, when Norway face Brazil in the opening game of Group A. The women’s tournament will start a day later, on 25 July, as reigning world champions the Netherlands face 2016 Olympic hosts Brazil.

In the meantime, teams have finished their preparations in their respective locations and have travelled to Japan to put on the final touches, with a slew of friendly games being scheduled before the start of the official competition.

This Olympic Games will be the most challenging ever, organised in difficult times, with a huge, coordinated effort from all parts to have a safe environment for athletes, coaches, referees, fans and the responsible persons organising the competition.
 

✨ 7 Days To Go! ✨ 1️⃣ week to the Opening Ceremony of the #Tokyo2020 @Olympics #StrongerTogether #UnitedByEmotion pic.twitter.com/NQe326QVrL

— #Tokyo2020 (@Tokyo2020) July 16, 2021

“The athletes are grateful that these Olympic Games are happening under these circumstances, and that all measures are being taken to deliver safe and secure Games,” International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Dr Thomas Bach said.

Therefore, as the first athletes have begun entering the Olympic Village, which is located at the Harumi waterfront district of Tokyo and features 21 residential buildings and 3,800 condos, every athlete who has entered Japan has undergone a COVID-19 RT-PCR test, entering in a bubble upon providing a negative test result.

No fans will be allowed to attend the events, as part of a concerted drive between the Japanese organisers and the IOC to avoid COVID-19 cases, including the handball tournament, which will take place at the Yoyogi National Stadium in Tokyo.

Meanwhile, you can read all about the preparations of the 24 participating teams before the throw-off (here for the men's teams and here for the women's teams).

All relevant information regarding the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the rosters, previews and reviews and all the statistics from the games can be found on the ihf.info official competition page.