Handball at the 1972 Summer Olympics
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Handball at the 1972 Summer Olympics 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
Results
Preliminary round
Group A
- Denmark tied Soviet Union, 12–12
- Sweden tied Poland, 13–13
- Poland def. Denmark, 11–8
- Sweden tied Soviet Union, 11–11
- Sweden def. Denmark, 16–10
- Soviet Union def. Poland, 17–11
Group B
- East Germany def. Iceland, 16–11
- Czechoslovakia def. Tunisia, 25–7
- East Germany def. Tunisia, 21–9
- Czechoslovakia tied Iceland, 19–19
- East Germany def. Czechoslovakia, 14–12
- Iceland def. Tunisia, 27–16
Group C
- Romania def. Norway, 18–14
- West Germany def. Spain, 13–10
- Romania def. Spain, 15–12
- West Germany tied Norway, 15–15
- Romania def. West Germany, 13–11
- Norway def. Spain, 19–17
Group D
- Yugoslavia def. Japan, 20–14
- Hungary def. United States, 28–15
- Yugoslavia def. United States, 25–15
- Hungary def. Japan, 20–12
- Yugoslavia def. Hungary, 18–16
- Japan def. United States, 20–16
Classification 13–16
- Denmark def. Tunisia, 29–21
- United States def. Spain, 22–20
Classification 15/16
- Spain def. Tunisia, 23–20
Classification 13/14
- Denmark def. United States, 19–18
Classification 9–12
- Poland def. Iceland, 20–17
- Norway def. Japan, 19–17
Classification 11/12
- Japan def. Iceland, 19–18
Classification 9/10
- Norway def. Poland, 23–20
Main round
Group I
East Germany's win over Czechoslovakia carried over to this round, as did the tie between Sweden and the Soviet Union| Rank | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |  |  |  |  | |
| 1. | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 42 | 38 | 4 | X | 12:14 | 15:12 | 15:12 | ||
| 2. | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 36 | 34 | 4 | 14:12 | X | 8:11 | 14:11 | ||
| 3. | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 34 | 34 | 3 | 12:15 | 11:8 | X | 11:11 | ||
| 4. | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 34 | 40 | 1 | 12:15 | 11:14 | 11:11 | X |
- Czechoslovakia def. Sweden, 15–12
- Soviet Union def. East Germany, 11–8
- East Germany def. Sweden, 14–11
- Czechoslovakia def. Soviet Union, 15–12
Group II
| Rank | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |  |  |  |  | |
| 1. | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 44 | 6 | X | 14:13 | 24:15 | 18:16 | ||
| 2. | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 46 | 39 | 4 | 13:14 | X | 13:11 | 20:14 | ||
| 3. | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 43 | 51 | 2 | 15:24 | 11:13 | X | 17:14 | ||
| 4. | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 44 | 55 | 0 | 16:18 | 14:20 | 14:17 | X |
- Romania def. Hungary, 20–14
- Yugoslavia def. West Germany, 24–15
- Yugoslavia def. Romania, 14–13
- West Germany def. Hungary, 17–14
Final round
Classification 7/8
- Sweden def. Hungary, 19–18
Classification 5/6
- Soviet Union def. West Germany, 17–16
Bronze medal match
- Romania def. East Germany, 19–16
Final
- Yugoslavia def. Czechoslovakia, 21–16
Participating nations
A total of 242 handball players from 16 nations competed at the Munich Games:
Not all reserve players are known.