The women's tournament kicks off preliminary play with six games on Thursday. A 12-team field that features two of the three defending medalists from Tokyo, the 2024 women's tournament has Olympic powerhouses and teams looking to breakout.

Details from each game of the first session are below.

Denmark started preliminary play on the right foot with a 27-19 victory over Slovenia in Group A. Emma Friis and Trine Østergaard each scored a game-high five goals for Denmark, as the Danish squad converted on 60% of its attempts on goal. 

Ana Gros and Tjsa Stanko also scored five goals apiece for Slovenia, but it wasn't enough as the team found itself down by three at the half, and were outscored by five in the second in what became an eight-goal defeat.

Denmark 27, Slovenia 19

The first half was a competitive one, with Angola trailing by just one goal after the first 30 minutes of play.

But the Netherlands proved to be too much in the second half, hanging on to win by a three-goal margin. Dione Housheer, Angela Malstein and Estavana Polman led the Netherlands in scoring while Helena Paulo and Vilma Nenganga led the charge for Angola. 

It was an encouraging effort from Angola, as it tested the Netherlands throughout the game despite the three-score defeat.

Netherlands 34, Angola 31

Brazil eased past Spain in what was an impressive 29-18 win to open up its Olympic tournament. The Brazilians began the game with a fast tempo as they took a 7-2 lead within the first 10 minutes. Brazil managed to keep its momentum throughout the rest of the match and converted 66 percent of their shots. A flashy performance from Brazil's goalkeeper Gabriela Moreschi did not go unnoticed as she put her body on the line and blocked 45 percent of all shot attempts from Spain. 

Both of these teams know the tournament is only going to get tougher as Brazil and Spain still have to play against European powerhouses France, Netherlands and Hungary.  

Brazil 29, Spain 18

Germany and South Korea kept the match within reach throughout its entirety, but it was South Korea who edged its opponents in a tight 23-22 victory to open up the Olympic campaign. Both teams played strict defense during the game and didn't let their opponents get a grip on a comfortable lead. But a late surge from South Korea — six goals in the last 10 minutes — sealed the victory for the Asian nation. 

Both teams will still have to come across favorites Norway and Denmark, but getting a result against either of those teams should put South Korea or Germany in a position to advance from the group. 

South Korea 23, Germany 22

In Tokyo, France became the first nation to sweep the handball gold medals since Yugoslavia in 1984. The French team therefore entered its Group B showdown against Hungary at South Paris Arena with heavy expectations and hopes to get off to a strong start in pursuit of their third Olympic medal.

In the fifth of sixth matches on the first day of the women's handball tournament, Hungary opened with a 5-1 advantage over France. The French overcame their slow start to climb back to a 15-12 lead at halftime, scoring 15 of the 16 shots they took.

France rode its first-half momentum into the second half, but Hungary stayed close behind and it remained a one-goal match with 12 minutes left to play. Both teams scored back-and-forth until the final minutes, but France ultimately held on for the 31-28 victory. Estelle Minko and Pauletta Foppa led the scoring for France and goalkeeper Hatadou Sako made crucial saves throughout the second half. 

France 31, Hungary 28

Sweden entered this Group A match in search of its first Olympic victory. Meanwhile, Norway returned for its second straight Olympic appearance after reaching the quarterfinals in Tokyo. Since then, Norway has finished in the top 10 at each of the last three major tournaments.

In the final game on the first day of the women's handball tournament, Sweden got off to a very strong start but Norway showed its experience by taking a 17-15 lead into halftime.

Sweden delivered a stellar second half though thanks to eight goals by Nathalie Hagman and seven goals from Nina Koppang to elevate the Swedes to a 32-28 victory. Johanna Bundsen also delivered a brilliant performance in goal. The 32 goals marked the most ever that Sweden has scored against Norway in the Olympics (this was the fifth meeting between the two teams). 

Norway's 44-year-old goalkeeper Katrine Lunde became the oldest handball player to appear in the Olympics (man or woman) in this matchup. Lunde has won a medal in all four of her previous Olympic appearances, which is tied for the most total medals by any handball athlete.

Sweden 32, Norway 28