Handball

Handball is a sport with notable doping cases, with 160 registered cases (1.1% of all violations). France leads in violations with 35 cases, while Cannabis is the most frequently detected substance (51 cases). The average suspension length is 20.5 months. Handball ranks #19 globally among all sports tracked by the Anti-Doping Database..

Number of cases in Handball Last 10 Years

International Handball Federation

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Sport Global Ranking
1,493
···
160
Global Ranking: #19 of 178 sports

160

Handball cases

1.1%

Of all violations

14,670

Total global cases
Handball's share of all violations 1.1%
160 of 14,670

Handball has the most violations in anti-doping rule violations globally, with 160 registered cases1.1% of all 14,670 verified cases in the Anti-Doping Database. Based on verified cases in the Anti-Doping Database.

Number of cases in Handball By Country
Top Country: France

35

France cases

21.9%

Of global cases

160

Total Handball cases
France's share of Handball violations 21.9%
35 of 160

France leads in Handball with 35 registered violations, accounting for over one-fifth of all violations. This represents 21.9% of the sport's 160 total cases globally.

The average suspension length for sanctioned Handball athletes in France is 20.5 months, shorter than the global average of 30.1 months.

Substance use in Handball
Most Detected Substance: Cannabis

51

Handball cases

31.9%

Of sport cases

519

Global Cannabis cases
Cannabis's share of Handball violations 31.9%
51 of 160

Cannabis leads significantly in Handball with 51 violations out of 160 total cases (31.9%). Representing more than one-third of all violations.

Globally, Cannabis has been detected in 519 cases across all sports, ranking #9 among all prohibited substances.

The average suspension length for Cannabis violations is 9.3 months, shorter than the global average of 30.1 months.


Cannabis are one of the most commonly used illicit drugs and can be found within the dried flowers, leaves or resin of the Cannabis plant. Cannabis may also be known as marijuana, pot, hash, ganja, green or weed. It is most commonly smoked but can also be eaten. Cannabis use is most commonly associated with recreational or social settings but regardless of the environment in which it is taken, if it is found in your system on competition day there are serious consequences. Cannabinoids are listed on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List since 1 January 2004. Cannabis not classified as a performance enhancing drug, but is on the Prohibited List because the drug is damaging to the athletes health. According to National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre (NCPIC) in Australia cannabis use can negatively impact on a person's sporting performance in a variety of ways. It is known to increase heart rate while decreasing cardiac stroke volume, resulting in diminished peak performance. It can also result in reduced sport performance through slowed reaction time, problems with motor coordination, hand-eye coordination, and perceptual accuracy. Cannabis can affect appetite and food cravings and potentially undermine body mass and nutrition. Use of cannabis could even be potentially dangerous in sports that rely on quick reactions and fast decision-making. In addition, for some people, cannabis use can cause increased anxiety, panic, nervousness and restlessness thus causing disruption to sleeping patterns. Some people may believe that cannabis use makes them sleep better and be more relaxed and less nervous before playing sport. Currently however, no research has objectively demonstrated that cannabis use results in observable increases in performance through relaxing the athlete or improving their sleeping patterns. In the term of being bad for the athlete health, smoking cannabis exposes the lungs to both carbon monoxide and tar which increase the risks of a range of health problems including respiratory tract infections, bronchitis and lung cancer. (Source: National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre (NCPIC), Australia, ncpic.org.au)

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Number of Active Sanctions Ending Year for Handball
Gender Distribution
Male 87.5
140 cases
Female 12.5
20 cases
Analysis: Handball has a notably higher proportion of male cases (87.5%) compared to the global average (80.2%), a difference of 7.3 percentage points. Global average: 80.2% male, 19.8% female

About International Handball Federation

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The Anti-Doping Database currently contains 14,670 verified anti-doping rule violations across all sports and all countries, and is updated regularly.