IHF - International Handball Federation
Sports games in which the ball was played with the hand have existed since
the earliest times and in all epochs and cultures.
However, the modern game of team handball only emerged in the second half
of the 19th century. Preliminary forms are: Initially, push ball
games against or across a border (Grenzball and Raffball in Germany), then
games on baskets or against nets (netball, korfball). Goals followed, but
the ball was not allowed to be run and held for a maximum of three seconds
(Neuer Raffball and Turmball in Germany). Finally, then games for goals,
whereby the ball could be running a maximum of three steps or held for a
maximum of three seconds. The latter are next to the Czech
Házená, the field handball game
for the female workers of the Siemens works (Catching was important in this game for girls. The throwing was a
bad concession at that time. Neither the fight for the ball nor the
duel were allowed. The ball had a diameter of 71 cm!), which was presented for the first time on October 29, 1917
(commonly
considered the "hour of birth" of handball) by Max Heiser (1879-1921), a
Berlin gymnastics functionary. But it was not until Karl Schelenz
(1890-1956), teacher at the German University for Physical Culture
(Deutsche Hochschule für Körperkultur), created the changed
handball rules for men in 1919 that the conditions for the rapid spread,
especially in German-speaking countries, were given.
Carl Diem, at that time General Secretary of the German sports organization
Deutscher Reichsausschuß für Leibesübungen and Rector of the
German University for Physical Culture, completed the establishment of
men's field handball as an officially recognized sport on September 13,
1920. In the first international match, Germany beat Austria by 6 to 3
goals on September 3, 1925.
In November 1925 in Köln GER, the IAAF invited to the first meeting of
a handball committee to be set up. Handball was understood to mean all ball
games played with the hands, including court handball, fistball,
bat-and-ball-games and korfball (which was later separated into basketball
and korfball). The 7th IAAF Congress on 08.08.1926 in den Haag
NED confirmed the founding of a special committee for handball. The task of
the committee, which was formed in Köln GER on 27.11.1926, was to
organize the countries playing handball and to standardize the rules.
The IAAF than prepared the establishment of an independent federation. The
founding congress of the Fédération Internationale des Sports de
Handball d'Amateurs (FIHA) attended by eleven countries took place on
04.08.1928 in Amsterdam NED. In 1929, the association responsible for
basketball as well as field and court handball (In 1928 the following technical commissions were formed: for
field handball (President Arvid Karlsson SWE after his death followed by Willy
Burmeister GER on 30.08.1934, from 1934 also extended to indoor handball),
Házená until 1934 included at field handball, own commission from 30.08.1934
under President František Bareš TCH, court handball (President Sean O'Hanlon
IRL) and basketball (President René Beaupuis FRA, 13.05.1930 - 30.08.1934 Armand
Lill FRA).)
was recognized by the IOC and became a member of the Permanent Bureau of
the Union des Fédérations Internationales Sportives. After the
FIBB was founded as the basketball world federation in 1932, the FIHA
renounced its claim to also control basketball at its congress on
30.08.1934. However, a new technical commission for fistball and volleyball (The chairman of this commission was Colonel
Mieczysław Rawicz-Mysłowski POL until 13.08.1936. He was followed from January 1936 by acting secretary of the
Commission Romuald Wirszyłło POL, from 13.08.1936 as President Tadeusz Kuchar POL.)
was created.
After World War II, a new federation was founded on 11.07.1946 in
København DEN: the International Handball Federation (IHF).
29.10.1917: The committee for women's and girls' gymnastics of Turngau II Berlin of the Deutsche Turnerschaft decided "to call the game, which was previously referred as Torball, Handball in the future" (Nachrichtenblatt für den Berliner Turnrath, no 812 of November 1917)
member federations
1928: AUT, CAN, DEN, GER, FIN (until 1936), FRA, GRE (until 1934), IRL, SWE, TCH, USA
1929: additional ARG, BRA, EGY, HUN, JPN, POL, ROU,
1934: additional BEL (until 1936), EST, HAI, LUX, NED, URU, YUG (until 1936)
1936: additional POR
1946: founding members of IHF: DEN, FIN, FRA, NED, NOR, POL, SWE, SUI
2007 159 member associations
2022 209 member associations
Presidents
| Chairman of the IAAF Handball Committee | |
|---|---|
| 27.11.1926 - 04.08.1928 | Franz-Paul Lang GER |
| President of FIHA | |
| 04.08.1928 - 28.08.1931 | Franz-Paul Lang GER |
| 28.08.1931 - 30.08.1934 | Dr. Karl Ritter von Halt GER; acting |
| 30.08.1934 - 09.07.1938 | Dr. Karl Ritter von Halt GER |
| 09.07.1938 - 27.12.1941 🕆 | Richard Herrmann GER |
| 28.12.1941 - 11.07.1946 | ----- |
| President of IHF | |
| 11.07.1946 - 09.09.1950 | Gösta Björk SWE |
| 09.09.1950 - 07.02.1971 🕆 | Hans Baumann SUI |
| 07.02.1971 - 23.08.1972 | Paul Högberg SWE; acting |
| 23.08.1972 - 25.07.1984 | Paul Högberg SWE |
| 25.07.1984 - 26.11.2000 | Erwin Lanc AUT |
| 26.11.2000 - | Dr. Hassan Mustafa EGY |
Secretaries General
| Secretary General of the IAAF Handball Committee | |
|---|---|
| 27.11.1926 - 04.08.1928 | Otto A. Schaer SUI |
| Secretary General of FIHA | |
| 04.08.1928 - 09.07.1938 | Fritz Haßler GER |
| 09.07.1938 - 10.07.1946 | Adam Nothelfer GER |
| Secretary General of IHF | |
| 11.07.1946 - 09.09.1950 | Carl-Filip Borgh SWE |
| 09.09.1950 - 23.08.1972 | Albert Wagner SUI |
| 23.08.1972 - 14.09.1988 | Max Rinkenburger FRG |
| 14.09.1988 - 02.12.2004 | Raymond Hahn FRA |
| 02.12.2004 - 04.06.2009 | Peter Mühlematter SUI |
| 04.06.2009 - 02.05.2011 | Joël Delplanque FRA |
The position has been replaced since 2011 by that of Managing Director.
World Player of the Year
| Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Veselin VUJOVIĆ YUG | Svetlana KITIĆ YUG |
| 1989 | KANG Jae-Won KOR | KIM Hyun-Mee KOR |
| 1990 | Magnus WISLANDER SWE | Jasmiza KOLAR AUT |
| 1991 - 1993 | not awarded | not awarded |
| 1994 | Talant DUISHEBAYEV RUS | Mia HERMANSSON-HÖGDAHL SWE |
| 1995 | Jackson RICHARDSON FRA | Erszébet KOSZIS HUN |
| 1996 | Talant DUISHEBAEV ESP | LIM O-Kyeong KOR |
| 1997 | Stéphane STOECKLIN FRA | Anja ANDERSEN DEN |
| 1998 | Daniel STEPHAN GER | Trine HALTVIK NOR |
| 1999 | Rafael GUIJOSA ESP | Ausra FRIDRIKAS AUT |
| 2000 | Dragan ŠKRBIĆ YUG | Bojana RADULOVICS HUN |
| 2001 | YOON Kyung-Shin KOR | Cecilie LEGANGER NOR |
| 2002 | Bertrand GILLE FRA | CHAO Zhai CHN |
| 2003 | Ivano BALIĆ CRO | Bojana RADULOVICS HUN |
| 2004 | Henning FRITZ GER | Anita KULCSÁR HUN |
| 2005 | Arpad ŠTERBIK SCG | Anita GÖRBICZ HUN |
| 2006 | Ivano BALIĆ CRO | Nadine KRAUSE GER |
| 2007 | Nikola KARABATIC FRA | Gro HAMMERSENG NOR |
| 2008 | Thierry OMEYER FRA | Linn-Kristin RIEGELHUTH NOR |
| 2009 | Sławomir SZMAL POL | Alison PINEAU FRA |
| 2010 | Filip JÍCHA CZE | Cristina NEAGU ROU |
| 2011 | Mikkel HANSEN DEN | Heidi LØKE NOR |
| 2012 | Daniel NARCISSE FRA | Alexandra do NASCIMENTO BRA |
| 2013 | Domagoj DUVNJAK CRO | Andrea LEKIĆ SRB |
| 2014 | Nikola KARABATIC FRA | Eduarda AMORIM BRA |
| 2015 | Mikkel HANSEN DEN | Cristina NEAGU ROU |
| 2016 | Nikola KARABATIC FRA | Cristina NEAGU ROU |
| 2017 | not awarded | not awarded |
| 2018 | Mikkel HANSEN DEN | Cristina NEAGU ROU |
| 2019 | Niklas LANDIN Jacobsen DEN | Stine Bredal OFTEDAL NOR |
| 2020 | not awarded | not awarded |
| 2021 | Niklas LANDIN Jacobsen DEN | Sandra TOFT DEN |
Last modified: 07.07.2023