The Court

The Olympic handball court resembles a pocket-sized soccer pitch. That's not entirely coincidental. In its early days, the sport was played outdoors by 11-member teams on turf fields. The modern Olympic handball court is 40 meters long by 20 meters wide (131 feet by 66 feet), about the size of a basketball court. There are a number of markings, the most important of which is the semicircular goal-area line. Encircling the goal at a distance of 6 meters (20 feet), the goal-area line is a boundary beyond which court players are not permitted. If they want to shoot, they must do so from outside the line, though they are allowed to jump over the line and shoot while in midair. The 7-meter (23-foot) line is the mark directly in front of the goal from which penalty shots are taken. There is also a broken semicircular line called the free-throw line that lies 9 meters (30 feet) from the goal.