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Handball

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Not everyone can kick or juggle a ball with their feet. So if you enjoy ball games but find that football is not your cup of tea, handball could be the sport for you.

Although the origin of handball is open to debate, it is generally believed that the modern game was invented by Holger Nielson of Denmark in 1898. But some argue that a similar ball game had already been played in ancient Athens and Egypt.

Handball became an Olympic event in 1936 and was very popular in Europe, especially in Germany.

Before the second world war, the game involved 11 players per team, but squads dropped to seven a side following the formation of the International Handball Federation (IHF) in 1946. As fewer players were involved and the game was played on a smaller court, handball became a quicker game and more exciting to watch.

'The game is kind of a cross between basketball and football,' says Stephen Cheng Man-cheung, who has been playing handball for almost 30 years and is the coach of the Hong Kong men's handball squad.

'Like football, you need to score goals, and you need a goalie [to defend your own goal]. But in terms of tactics and speed, it is more like basketball as players need to pass the ball and switch positions quickly.'

A handball game lasts for 60 minutes, with a 10-minute break between halves. There is no limit on substitutions. The coach can swap players at any point, without a time stoppage, as long as the team has only seven players on the court.

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