On the men's side, France returns to the Olympics seeking a third straight Olympic gold medal. With a typically loaded squad, the French also boast three International Handball Federation World Player of the Year award recipients on this year's squad: Nikola Karabatic (2007, 2014), Thierry Omeyer (2008) and Daniel Narcisse (2012). All three players are making their fourth consecutive Olympic appearance.
For the women, Norway enters Rio in pursuit of a third gold medal of their own. For the Norwegians, the best line player and goalie of the 2012 tournament will be returning in Heidi Loke and Kari Aalvik Grimsbo, respectively.
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From the University of North Carolina to the Chicago Bulls to two stints on the U.S. Menu2019s Olympic Menu2019s basketball team, Michael Jordan was always a star. He was a member of the 1984 and 1992 gold medal winning teams. In 1992, he starred alongside Bulls teammate Scottie Pippen, and rivals Ervin u2018Magicu2019 Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing.
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The foundation of the U.S. womenu2019s soccer program, Mia Hamm was a dominant performer at the University of North Carolina before transitioning to an international career. Hamm recorded five goals in 15 games spanning three Olympics. She won two gold medals and a silver.
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Swimmer Mark Spitz was Michael Phelps before there was a Michael Phelps. Spitz, an Indiana Hoosier, won seven gold medals in the 1972 Olympics u2014 a record that held until 2008, when Phelps won eight.
Among the legendary performers in American track-and-field history, Joyner-Kersee built her reputation at UCLA before competing in four Olympic games. Joyner-Kersee won three golds, a silver and two bronze medals in the the 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1996 Games.
A product of the University of Houston, Carl Lewisu2019 name is synonymous with the U.S. Olympic team. A four-time Olympic sprinter and long jumper, Lewis won 10 medals u2014 nine golds and a silver.
Arguably history's top womenu2019s basketball player, Cheryl Miller represented the the U.S. in the 1984 Olympic Games. The UCLA star averaged 16.5 points per game as Team USA won gold in a dominating fashion.
Twice an All-American in football for Pennsylvania's Carlisle Indian Industrial School, Thorpe won gold in the 1912 Olympics in the decathlon and pentathlon. After being accused of violating amateur rules by playing minor league baseball, Thorpe was stripped of his medals in 1913 by the International Olympic Commission u2014 but the IOC reinstated his medals posthumously in 1983.
New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony spent one year at Syracuse University before darting to the NBA. Anthony has represented the U.S. three times in Olympic competition, winning two gold medals and a bronze. He will be on Team USA in Rio.
On the cusp of her second Olympics, Missy Franklin, who swam for the University of California at Berkeley, won four gold medals and a bronze in the 2012 London Games.
Sprinter and long jumper Jesse Owens starred at Ohio State before etching his name into history by winning four gold medals at the 1936 Games. The Berlin Olympics marked the only time Owens would represent the U.S. in Olympic competition.
After finishing sixth in London, Brazil hopes to have a strong showing as the host nation. Sporting two of the last three IHF World Player of the Year honorees, Eduarda Amorim and Alexandra do Nascimento, the Brazilian squad should be a force to be reckoned with in Rio.
Who's Missing?
Spain failed to qualify a team on the men's side for the first time in 40 years. After finishing in seventh in 2012, Spain's last medal was a bronze at the 2008 Games.
While not a consistent powerhouse — they only have three total Olympic medals in men's handball — their presence in the field has long been a foregone conclusion. Iceland, who finished in fourth place at the London Games, also failed to qualify for Rio.
Croatia's women's squad was the highest placed team in the London tournament that failed to qualify this time around. After a seventh place finish in the previous Games, Croatia did not even qualify for the 2016 Olympic Qualification Tournament.
The Americans
Neither U.S. handball team qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics. The men and women last qualified for handball in the 1996 Games, where they both received automatic nods as the host nation.
Prior to 1996, the women had qualified for the previous three Games — including an automatic qualification at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. The men have qualified for six total Olympic tournaments (1936, 1972-1988, 1996). Neither team qualified for the 2015 Pan American Games, their best chance at earning spots for the 2016 Olympics.
