A Danish Passion: Handball aka Håndbold in Danish

A Danish Passion: Handball aka Håndbold in Danish  

Håndbold as the word describes, is a sport where a small ball is played among players with their hands. One might think of it as soccer or football with hands. If you ask Danes, they will probably tell you they invented handball, which made me wonder – is it true? According to google, the game was invented in Denmark in 1898, however, the official rules of the game were written down in Berlin on October 29^th, 1917, where the first official game took place in the same year and location. Since then, some changes in the rules have occurred, however, the fundamentals of the game have remained the same. Danes might take credit for creating the modern version, but the game has been played for hundreds of years. The game of handball was played as far back as ancient Rome, where Romans called it pelota. All this historical background is good to keep in mind, however, for many here in Denmark the sport is a symbol of the Danish culture- teamwork and togetherness. I was surprised at how much these symbols are in fact portrayed within the sport.  

Handball: a symbol of teamwork and togetherness 

One of the things that Danes will proudly tell you is that they are the best at playing handball and a way as a foreigner to feel part of the Danish culture is by connecting through Handball. There are many local sports pubs around the country that often show matches. And there are many local sports clubs where one can become a member and learn how to play it. 

 On Monday the 11^th of September 2023, together with Fall Block 1 2023 students, we got the opportunity to learn how to play Handball with the Amager KFUM Handball team. I might be biases, but I must say despite the language barrier and cultural differences, when we played with KFUM team we were immediately part of the team and not visitors or foreigners. At the end of the game, I asked the students how they felt, despite feeling tired they really enjoyed it. KFUM Handball team is an amateur team. It is made of a group of women who practice it every Monday evening with a professional trainer. Most of them were in their 30’s plus years old. They have tried other sports before, but handball was in their hearts.  

This was definitely a great experience and a nice way to get into the Danish sport culture. If you visit Denmark at some point, make sure to watch a match or even try it out. You will not regret it! We love to introduce this culture to our students wither by playing or watching a match together. Also tag us on Instagram @cieecopenhagen so we can see your pictures!