Handball by the numbers

(BEIJING, August 6) -- A preview of the Handball competition at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games based on historical facts and figures.

1976 - Year in which Women's Handball was added to the Olympic program.

204 - Height in centimeters of goalkeeper Johannes Bitter (GER), the tallest Handball player in Beijing.

60 - Number of minutes played in a Handball match in regular time.

48 - Weight difference in kilograms between the heaviest and lightest female player. Elena Polenova (RUS) weighs 98kg, while Kim Ona (KOR) weighs 50kg.

40 - Length of the Handball court in meters.

38 - Age of Christian Schwarzer (GER), the oldest Handball player in Beijing.

36 - Number of years it took before Handball was reintroduced after it was first on the Olympic program at the Berlin 1936 Olympic Games. In 1936 Handball was played on an outdoor field whereas the first Olympic indoor tournament was played in Munich in 1972.

30 - Annika Wiel Freden (SWE) celebrates her 30th birthday on 21 August.

24 - Number of years since reigning European champions Denmark last participated in the Men's competition.

20 - Players have won two Gold medals in the Women's competition.

18 - Age of Azenaide Danila Jose Carlos (ANG), the youngest Handball player in Beijing.

17 - NOCs have won an Olympic medal in the Men's competition.

14 - Number of players in each squad.

10 - NOCs have won an Olympic medal in the Women's competition.

9 - Record number of times Spain's men have participated at the Olympic Games including the Beijing Olympic Games.

6 - Number of teams in each group in the preliminary round in the Men's and Women's competitions.

5 - Record number of Games medals the Republic of Korea Women's team has won. They have won two Gold medals and three Silver.

4 - NOCs have won the Women's competition, the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Republic of Korea and Denmark.

3 - Andrey Lavrov (URS, EUN, RUS) has won a record three Gold medals at the Olympic Games. He won the Gold medals between 1988 and 2004. No other athlete has won three Gold medals in handball.

1 - Each team has one time-out per half.