Handball at the 1972 Summer Olympics
 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | West Germany |
| Venue(s) | 5 (in 5 host cities) |
| Dates | 30 August – 10 September 1972 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Yugoslavia (1st title) |
| Runner-up | Czechoslovakia |
| Third place | Romania |
| Fourth place | East Germany |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 44 |
| Goals scored | 1,428 (32.45 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |
Gheorghe Gruia (37 goals) |
Handball at the 1972 Summer Olympics was the second appearance of the sport at the Olympics, returning to the Olympic program after a 36-year absence. The competition was for men only and it was contested by sixteen teams.
The teams were split into four groups of four teams each. Each team played every other team in its group.
The lowest team in group A played the lowest in group B while the lowest in groups C and D played each other. The winners of those games played each other for 13th and 14th places, while the losers played each other for 15th and 16th.
The third-ranked teams in groups A and B also played each, as did those in groups C and D. Again, the winners of those games played each other, this time for 9th and 10th places. The losers played for 11th and 12th places.
The top two teams in each group advanced to the main round. Those from groups A and B became group I while those from groups C and D became group II. Another round-robin was played within those groups, with the results from the preliminary round carrying over.
The fourth-ranked teams in each of the two main round groups played each other for 7th and 8th place. The third-ranked teams played against each other for 5th and 6th place. The second-ranked teams played for the bronze medal and 4th place. The top teams in group I and group II played each other for the gold and silver medals.
Medallists
Qualification
| Qualification | Date | Host | Vacancies | Qualified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Host nation | 26 April 1966 | Rome | 1 | West Germany |
| 1970 World Championship | 26 February – 8 March 1970 | France | 7 |
Romania East Germany Yugoslavia Denmark Sweden Czechoslovakia Hungary |
| Asian qualification tournament | 13–29 November 1971 | Japan | 1 | Japan |
| American qualification tournament | 2–6 February 1972 | Elkhart | 1 | United States |
| European qualification tournament | 15–25 March 1972 | Spain | 5 |
Soviet Union Norway Iceland Poland Spain |
| African qualification tournament | 25–31 March 1972 | Tunis | 1 | Tunisia |
| Total | 16 | |||
Results
Preliminary round
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sweden | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 34 | +6 | 4 | Main round |
| 2 | Soviet Union | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 34 | +6 | 4 | |
| 3 | Poland | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 38 | −3 | 3 | 9–12th place semifinals |
| 4 | Denmark | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 30 | 39 | −9 | 1 | 13–16th place semifinals |
Source:
| 30 August 1972 | Denmark | 12–12 | Soviet Union |
Donauhalle, Ulm Referees: Falk, Rosmanith (FRG) |
| Vodsgaard 4 | (7–6) | Gassy 6 | ||
| 30 August 1972 | Sweden | 13–13 | Poland |
Donauhalle, Ulm Referees: Simanović, Valčić (YUG) |
| L. Eriksson 7 | (5–7) | Dybol 7 | ||
| 1 September 1972 | Denmark | 8–11 | Poland |
Hohenstaufenhalle, Göppingen Referees: Keszthelyi, Márki (HUN) |
| Hansen 4 | (4–6) | Melcer 5 | ||
| 1 September 1972 | Sweden | 11–11 | Soviet Union |
Hohenstaufenhalle, Göppingen Referees: Reichel, Tetens (FRG) |
| L. Eriksson 4 | (4–3) | Usaty 4 | ||
| 3 September 1972 | Denmark | 10–16 | Sweden |
Sporthalle, Böblingen Referees: Cârligeanu, Sidea (ROU) |
| K. Andersen, Hansen 4 | (4–8) | Bj. Andersson, L. Eriksson 4 | ||
| 3 September 1972 | Soviet Union | 17–11 | Poland |
Sporthalle, Böblingen Referees: Huseby, Nilson (NOR) |
| Ilyin 5 | (9–4) | Melcer 4 | ||
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Germany | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 32 | +19 | 6 | Main round |
| 2 | Czechoslovakia | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 56 | 40 | +16 | 3 | |
| 3 | Iceland | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 57 | 51 | +6 | 3 | 9–12th place semifinals |
| 4 | Tunisia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 32 | 73 | −41 | 0 | 13–16th place semifinals |
Source:
| 30 August 1972 | East Germany | 16–11 | Iceland |
Sporthalle, Augsburg Referees: Cârligeanu, Sidea (ROU) |
| Randt 5 | (7–6) | four players 2 | ||
| 30 August 1972 | Czechoslovakia | 25–7 | Tunisia |
Sporthalle, Augsburg Referees: Reichel, Tetens (FRG) |
| Beneš 8 | (10–3) | Khalladi 2 | ||
| 1 September 1972 | East Germany | 21–9 | Tunisia |
Donauhalle, Ulm Referees: Huseby, Nilson (NOR) |
| Ganschow, Lakenmacher 5 | (11–2) | Hamrouni, Sebabti 3 | ||
| 1 September 1972 | Czechoslovakia | 19–19 | Iceland |
Donauhalle, Ulm Referees: Falk, Rosmanith (FRG) |
| Konečný 6 | (8–10) | Björgvinsson 5 | ||
| 3 September 1972 | East Germany | 14–12 | Czechoslovakia |
Hohenstaufenhalle, Göppingen Referees: Simanović, Valčić (YUG) |
| Ganschow 4 | (5–4) | Konečný 7 | ||
| 3 September 1972 | Iceland | 27–16 | Tunisia |
Hohenstaufenhalle, Göppingen Referees: Keszthelyi, Márki (HUN) |
| Magnússon 7 | (14–7) | Klai, Sebabti 3 | ||
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Romania | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 37 | +9 | 6 | Main round |
| 2 | West Germany (H) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 39 | 38 | +1 | 3 | |
| 3 | Norway | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 48 | 50 | −2 | 3 | 9–12th place semifinals |
| 4 | Spain | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 39 | 47 | −8 | 0 | 13–16th place semifinals |
Source:
(H) Hosts
(H) Hosts
| 30 August 1972 | Romania | 18–14 | Norway |
Sporthalle, Böblingen Referees: Siebert, Singer (GDR) |
| Gruia, Gunnesch 6 | (11–10) | T. Hansen 4 | ||
| 30 August 1972 | West Germany | 13–10 | Spain |
Sporthalle, Böblingen Referees: Ovdal, Rodil (DEN) |
| Lange, Lübking 3 | (7–5) | De Andrés 4 | ||
| 1 September 1972 | Romania | 15–12 | Spain |
Sporthalle, Augsburg Referees: Janerstam, Larsson (SWE) |
| Gruia, Tudosie 3 | (6–4) | De Andrés 5 | ||
| 1 September 1972 | West Germany | 15–15 | Norway |
Sporthalle, Augsburg Referees: Bertschinger, Gabriel (SUI) |
| Bucher 7 | (7–8) | Reinertsen 4 | ||
| 3 September 1972 | Romania | 13–11 | West Germany |
Olympiahalle, Munich Referees: Carlsson, Olsson (SWE) |
| Gruia 7 | (5–5) | Bucher, Westebbe 3 | ||
| 3 September 1972 | Norway | 19–17 | Spain |
Olympiahalle, Munich Referees: Siebert, Singer (GDR) |
| Reinertsen 5 | (10–4) | Taure 6 | ||
Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yugoslavia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 63 | 45 | +18 | 6 | Main round |
| 2 | Hungary | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 64 | 45 | +19 | 4 | |
| 3 | Japan | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 46 | 56 | −10 | 2 | 9–12th place semifinals |
| 4 | United States | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 46 | 73 | −27 | 0 | 13–16th place semifinals |
Source:
| 30 August 1972 | Yugoslavia | 20–14 | Japan |
Hohenstaufenhalle, Göppingen Referees: Janerstam, Larsson (SWE) |
| Lavrnić 5 | (11–7) | Noda 4 | ||
| 30 August 1972 | Hungary | 28–15 | United States |
Hohenstaufenhalle, Göppingen Referees: Repo, Tuominen (FIN) |
| Varga 13 | (16–8) | Rogers, Schlesinger 4 | ||
| 1 September 1972 | Yugoslavia | 25–15 | United States |
Sporthalle, Böblingen Referees: Siebert, Singer (GDR) |
| Horvat, Pribanić 7 | (11–9) | Abrahamson 6 | ||
| 1 September 1972 | Hungary | 20–12 | Japan |
Sporthalle, Böblingen Referees: Carlsson, Olsson (SWE) |
| Varga 6 | (10–7) | Chikamori, Kino 3 | ||
| 3 September 1972 | Yugoslavia | 18–16 | Hungary |
Sporthalle, Augsburg Referees: Ovdal, Rodil (DEN) |
| Lavrnić 8 | (9–8) | Varga 5 | ||
| 3 September 1972 | Japan | 20–16 | United States |
Sporthalle, Augsburg Referees: Bertschinger, Gabriel (SUI) |
| Iida 7 | (9–9) | Abrahamson, Rogers 4 | ||
Classification round
Bracket
- 9th place bracket
| 9–12th place semifinals | 9th place | |||||
| 7 September | ||||||
| Poland | 20 | |||||
| 9 September | ||||||
| Iceland | 17 | |||||
| Poland | 20 | |||||
| 7 September | ||||||
| Norway (ET) | 23 | |||||
| Norway | 19 | |||||
| Japan | 17 | |||||
| 11th place | ||||||
| 9 September | ||||||
| Iceland | 18 | |||||
| Japan | 19 | |||||
- 13th place bracket
| 13–16th place semifinals | 13th place | |||||
| 7 September | ||||||
| Denmark | 29 | |||||
| 9 September | ||||||
| Tunisia | 21 | |||||
| Denmark | 19 | |||||
| 7 September | ||||||
| United States | 18 | |||||
| Spain | 20 | |||||
| United States | 22 | |||||
| 15th place | ||||||
| 9 September | ||||||
| Tunisia | 20 | |||||
| Spain | 23 | |||||
13–16th place semifinals
| 7 September 1972 | Denmark | 29–21 | Tunisia |
Olympiahalle, Munich Referees: Huseby, Nilson (NOR) |
| Hansen 8 | (11–9) | Sebabti 8 | ||
| 7 September 1972 | Spain | 20–22 | United States |
Olympiahalle, Munich Referees: Bertschinger, Gabriel (SUI) |
| Morera 7 | (11–8) | Abrahamson 7 | ||
9–12th place semifinals
| 7 September 1972 | Poland | 20–17 | Iceland |
Olympiahalle, Munich Referees: Reichel, Tetens (FRG) |
| Antczak 5 | (10–7) | Magnússon 6 | ||
| 7 September 1972 | Norway | 19–17 | Japan |
Olympiahalle, Munich Referees: Falk, Rosmanith (FRG) |
| T. Hansen 5 | (8–9) | Arinaga 5 | ||
15th place game
| 9 September 1972 | Tunisia | 20–23 | Spain |
Olympiahalle, Munich Referees: Falk, Rosmanith (FRG) |
| Sebabti 9 | (10–11) | Rochel 9 | ||
13th place game
| 9 September 1972 | Denmark | 19–18 | United States |
Olympiahalle, Munich Referees: Keszthelyi, Márki (HUN) |
| Hansen 8 | (12–6) | Abrahamson, Rogers 5 | ||
Eleventh place game
| 9 September 1972 | Iceland | 18–19 | Japan |
Olympiahalle, Munich Referees: Sidea, Cârligeanu (ROU) |
| Hallsteinsson 7 | (12–11) | three players 4 | ||
Ninth place game
| 9 September 1972 | Poland | 20–23 (ET) | Norway |
Olympiahalle, Munich Referees: Reichel, Tetens (FRG) |
| Melcer 6 | (10–10) | T. Hansen 10 | ||
|
FT: 19–19 ET: 1–4 |
||||
Main round
Group I
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Czechoslovakia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 42 | 38 | +4 | 4 | Gold medal game |
| 2 | East Germany | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 36 | 34 | +2 | 4 | Bronze medal game |
| 3 | Soviet Union | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 3 | Fifth place game |
| 4 | Sweden | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 34 | 40 | −6 | 1 | Seventh place game |
Source:
| 5 September 1972 | Sweden | 12–15 | Czechoslovakia |
Olympiahalle, Munich Referees: Falk, Rosmanith (FRG) |
| L. Eriksson 5 | (6–7) | three players 3 | ||
| 6 September 1972 | Soviet Union | 11–8 | East Germany |
Olympiahalle, Munich Referees: Simanović, Valčić (YUG) |
| Klimov, Panov 3 | (4–4) | four players 2 | ||
| 8 September 1972 | Sweden | 11–14 | East Germany |
Olympiahalle, Munich Referees: Cârligeanu, Sidea (ROU) |
| L. Eriksson 4 | (6–8) | Ganschow 6 | ||
| 8 September 1972 | Soviet Union | 12–15 | Czechoslovakia |
Olympiahalle, Munich Referees: Keszthelyi, Márki (HUN) |
| Kulev 7 | (7–7) | Konečný 4 | ||
Group II
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yugoslavia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 44 | +12 | 6 | Gold medal game |
| 2 | Romania | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 46 | 39 | +7 | 4 | Bronze medal game |
| 3 | West Germany (H) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 43 | 51 | −8 | 2 | Fifth place game |
| 4 | Hungary | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 44 | 55 | −11 | 0 | Seventh place game |
Source:
(H) Hosts
(H) Hosts
| 6 September 1972 | Romania | 20–14 | Hungary |
Olympiahalle, Munich Referees: Singer, Siebert (GDR) |
| Gruia 8 | (11–6) | Kaló, Varga 3 | ||
| 6 September 1972 | West Germany | 15–24 | Yugoslavia |
Olympiahalle, Munich Referees: Ovdal, Rodil (DEN) |
| Bucher, Karrer 4 | (7–14) | Lavrnić, Lazarević 6 | ||
| 8 September 1972 | Romania | 13–14 | Yugoslavia |
Olympiahalle, Munich Referees: Carlsson, Olsson (SWE) |
| Gruia 8 | (4–5) | Lazarević 6 | ||
| 8 September 1972 | West Germany | 17–14 | Hungary |
Olympiahalle, Munich Referees: Janerstam, Larsson (SWE) |
| Möller 6 | (8–6) | Stiller, K. Vass 3 | ||
Final round
Seventh place game
| 10 September 1972 | Sweden | 19–18 | Hungary |
Olympiahalle, Munich Referees: Singer, Siebert (GDR) |
| Persson 5 | (11–8) | K. Vass 6 | ||
Fifth place game
| 10 September 1972 | Soviet Union | 17–16 | West Germany |
Olympiahalle, Munich Referees: Simanović, Valčić (YUG) |
| Panov, Usaty 4 | (10–9) | Möller, Wehnert 5 | ||
Bronze medal game
| 10 September 1972 | East Germany | 16–19 | Romania |
Olympiahalle, Munich Referees: Carlsson, Olsson (SWE) |
| Böhme 4 | (8–11) | Gruia, Gunesch 5 | ||
Gold medal game
| 10 September 1972 | Yugoslavia | 21–16 | Czechoslovakia |
Olympiahalle, Munich Referees: Ovdal, Rodil (DEN) |
| Lazarević 6 | (12–5) | Jarý 6 | ||
Rankings and statistics
Final ranking
|
Top goalscorers
|
Participating nations
Each country was allowed to enter a team of 16 players and they all were eligible for participation. Japan entered only a squad of twelve.
A total of 242(*) handball players from 16 nations competed at the Munich Games:
-
Czechoslovakia (16)
-
Denmark (16)
-
East Germany (16)
-
West Germany (16)
-
Hungary (15)
-
Iceland (15)
-
Japan (12)
-
Norway (16)
-
Poland (15)
-
Romania (15)
-
Soviet Union (15)
-
Spain (15)
-
Sweden (16)
-
Tunisia (15)
-
United States (15)
-
Yugoslavia (14)
(*) NOTE: There are only players counted, which participated in one game at least.
Not all reserve players are known.