Asian Women’s Handball Championship 2024: A new first for India

Come December the 3rd, sporting history will be made when India hosts the 20th edition of the Asian Women’s Handball Championship (AWHC) at the Indira Gandhi Arena, New Delhi.

Organised by Asian Handball Federation, the tournament will take place in South Asia for the first time, let alone India, from December 3 to 10.

Having hosted the Asian Women’s Youth Handball Championship (AWHC) multiple times, India's commitment to nurturing handball is now culminating in hosting the senior event, highlighting the country's ambition to become a regional hub for handball.

What's at stake for India

As host, India will aim to make history at the 2024 AWHC, competing for a coveted top-four spot that secures qualification for the 2025 World Women’s Handball Championships in Germany and the Netherlands.

Standing in their way are 16-time champions South Korea, along with former winners Japan and Kazakhstan, promising a thrilling contest. 

The latest edition of the AWHC will feature eight teams, split into two groups of four.

India has been drawn in Group B alongside Japan, Hong Kong, and Iran, while reigning champions South Korea are in Group A besides Kazakhstan, China, and Singapore. 

The top two from each group will qualify for the semi-finals, while the teams ranked third and fourth will compete in the 5th-8th place semi-finals.

India’s history in AWHC

It will be India’s eighth appearance in the tournament, having previously participated in 1993, 2000, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2018, and 2022.

Moreover, India is the only South Asian nation to have previously qualified for the AWHC, making its hosting debut even more symbolic.

While the women’s team had made its AWHC debut in 1993 in Shantou, their first win in the tournament only came at their third attempt in 2008, in Bangkok, Thailand, against Qatar.

Four years later, India recorded one of the tournament’s–biggest wins at AWHC, beating Kuwait 63-6, and won two matches in the same edition for the first time. The last edition of the competition was the most productive for India, as the nation finished sixth after winning three games.

Furthermore, the Indian women’s youth team’s recent successes also hint at a bright future, with their fourth-place finish at the 2022 Asian Women’s Youth Handball Championship signalling a deepening talent pool.

Adding to that, India’s very own Golden Eagles Bharat secured a podium finish at the recently concluded 7th Asian Women’s Club League Championship in Kazakhstan.

Hosting the AWHC in New Delhi could inspire the next generation of players and give Indian handball a much-needed boost on the continental stage.

The competition

Asian giants South Korea are the third-most successful nation in women’s handball at the Olympics, winning two gold, three silver, and a bronze medal thus far; they are also sixth in the all-time standings.

South Korea embarked on a winning streak at the AWHC that would last for decades. They beat China at the first-ever AWHC in 1987, before winning the next seven tournaments in succession.

South Korea also won a World Women’s Handball Championship, adding to their burgeoning trophy cabinet. 

After eight tournament wins in a row, South Korea’s perfect dominance in the AWHC came to a screeching halt in 2002, when Kazakhstan stunned the heavyweights at the Almaty-based tournament.

A growing power in the former years, Kazakhstan beat South Korea in the final to win their first title, before reclaiming it in 2010. 

In 2004, Japan became the third country to win the AWHC. 

South Korea's participation in New Delhi as a dominant force–alongside former winners Japan and Kazakhstan–highlights the opportunity for India to witness such high-calibre competition on home soil as a significant milestone for Indian handball enthusiasts. 

Schedule

3 DEC (TUE)

• 12:00: Match 1 - China vs Kazakhstan (Preliminary)
• 14:00: Match 2 - Japan vs Iran (Preliminary)
• 16:00: Match 3 - Korea vs Singapore (Preliminary)
• 18:00: Match 4 - India vs Hong Kong-CHN (Preliminary)

4 DEC (WED)

• 12:00: Match 5 - Singapore vs China (Preliminary)
• 14:00: Match 6 - Hong Kong-CHN vs Japan (Preliminary)
• 16:00: Match 7 - Kazakhstan vs Korea (Preliminary)
• 18:00: Match 8 - Iran vs India (Preliminary)

5 DEC (THU)- Rest Day

6 DEC (FRI)

• 12:00: Match 9 - Kazakhstan vs Singapore (Preliminary)
• 14:00: Match 10 - Iran vs Hong Kong-CHN (Preliminary)
• 16:00: Match 11 - Korea vs China (Preliminary)
• 18:00: Match 12 - India vs Japan (Preliminary)

7 DEC (SAT)- Rest Day

8 DEC (SUN)

• 12:00: Match 13 - 3rd Group (A) vs 4th Group (B) (Main Round)
• 14:00: Match 14 - 3rd Group (B) vs 4th Group (A) (Main Round)
• 16:00: Match 15 - 1st Group (A) vs 2nd Group (B) (Main Round)
• 18:00: Match 16 - 1st Group (B) vs 2nd Group (A) (Main Round)

9 DEC (MON)- Rest Day

10 DEC (TUE)

• 12:00: Match 17 - Loser Match 13 vs Loser Match 14 (7th/8th Place)
• 14:00: Match 18 - Winner Match 13 vs Winner Match 14 (5th/6th Place)
• 16:00: Match 19 - Loser Match 15 vs Loser Match 16 (3rd/4th Place)
• 18:00: Match 20 - Winner Match 15 vs Winner Match 16 (1st/2nd Place).

Where to watch

The AWHC will be broadcast live on Doordarshan.