Women's Handball

Gabrielle Morales holds a resin-covered handball during a handball training session in Tustin, Calif., Wednesday, March 25, 2026.

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These women are training to represent the US in an Olympic sport they'd never heard of

These women are training to represent the US in an Olympic sport they'd never heard of

With Los Angeles hosting the 2028 Olympics, the U.S. women’s handball team will be able to play in the Games for the first time since 1996. Hundreds of women from across California — many of whom had never played handball before — tried out for the team. Now they're moving to Florida to train in the national residency. While handball is little known in the U.S., it is a popular team sport in Europe. The biggest challenge ahead is resources, as the women's team does not receive any funding from the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.