Gaelic handball
Gaelic handball (known in Ireland simply as handball; Irish: liathróid láimhe) is a sport where players hit a ball with a hand or fist against a wall in such a way as to make a shot the opposition cannot return, and that may be played with two (singles) or four players (doubles). The sport, popular in Ireland, is similar to American handball, Welsh handball, fives, Basque pelota, Valencian frontó, and more remotely to racquetball or squash. It is one of the four Gaelic games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). GAA Handball, a subsidiary organisation of the GAA, governs and promotes the sport.
Two men playing handball | |
| Highest governing body | Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) |
|---|---|
| Nicknames | handball, GAA handball |
| First played | medieval period or earlier, Ireland |
| Clubs | 180 |
| Characteristics | |
| Contact | Limited |
| Team members | Singles or doubles |
| Mixed-sex | No; some mixed doubles played in juvenile grades |
| Type | Hand and ball-striking games |
| Equipment | Gaelic handball ball, goggles, non-marking gum soled shoes |
| Venue | Indoor or outdoor (with glass court) |
| Presence | |
| Country or region | Ireland and Irish diaspora |
| Olympic | No |
| Paralympic | No |
| World Games | One-wall handball was included as a Demonstration sport at 2013 World Games, Colombia |
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