International Handball Federation

The International Handball Federation (IHF) is the administrative and controlling body for handball and beach handball. IHF is responsible for the organisation of handball's major international tournaments, notably the IHF World Men's Handball Championship, which commenced in 1938, and the IHF World Women's Handball Championship, which commenced in 1957.

IHF was founded in 1946 to oversee international competitions. Headquartered in Basel, its membership now comprises 209 national federations. Each member country must each also be a member of one of the six regional confederations: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and Caribbean, Oceania, and South and Central America. Hassan Moustafa from Egypt has been President of the IHF since 26 November 2000.

History
The IHF was founded on 12 July 1946, in Palace Hotel in Copenhagen (Denmark) by representatives of eight national federations. The founding members were Denmark, Finland, France, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland. The first president of IHF was Gösta Björk from Sweden. Björk was replaced in 1950 by Hans Baumann from Switzerland. In 1954, the first IHF Men's World Championship, was conducted under the aegis of the IHF, in Sweden with the participation of six national teams. In 1957, the first IHF World Women's Handball Championship was held in SFR Yugoslavia with the participation of nine national teams. Handball was included in the Olympic Games for the first time under the auspices of IHF in Munich 1972 (men's tournament) and Montreal 1976 (women's tournament).

Laws and governance
IHF is headquartered in Basel, and is a federation established under the Law of Switzerland. IHF's supreme body is the IHF Congress, an assembly made up of representatives from each affiliated member association. Each national handball association has one vote, regardless of its size or handballing strength. The Congress assembles in ordinary session once in two years (odd years) after the IHF World Men's Handball Championship. The congress makes decisions relating to IHF's governing statutes and their method of implementation and application. Only the Congress can pass changes to IHF's statutes. The congress approves the annual report, and decides on the acceptance of new national associations and holds elections. Congress elects the President of IHF, its General Secretary, and the other members of the IHF Council. IHF's Council, chaired by the President, is the main decision-making body of the organisation in the intervals of Congress. The Council is composed of 18 people: the President, 5 Vice Presidents, and 12 members. The Council is the body that decides which country will host the World Championship. The President and General Secretary are the main officeholders of IHF, and are in charge of its daily administration, carried out by the General Secretariat. Hassan Moustafa is the current president, appointed in the year 2000 at the 28th Ordinary IHF Congress.

Six confederations and 209 national associations
The IHF is composed of six continental federations which organize continental championships held every other second year: African Handball Confederation, Asian Handball Federation, European Handball Federation, North America and the Caribbean Handball Confederation, Oceania Continent Handball Federation, and South and Central America Handball Confederation. In addition to continental competitions between national teams, the federations arrange international tournaments between club teams.

Until 2017, there were five continental confederations. On 14 January 2018, the IHF Council divided the Pan-American Confederation into the North America and the Caribbean Handball Confederation and the South and Central America Handball Confederation. The authority to divide a continental confederation was assigned to the IHF Congress, but the 36th IHF Congress in 2017 authorized the IHF Council to divide the Pan-American Team Handball Federation.

IHF presidents
† Hans Baumann died in office on 9 February 1971 due to illness.

IHF Executive committee
The following is the IHF Executive Committee for the term 2021 — 2025.

IHF Council
The IHF Council is the IHF's main decision-making body between meetings of the IHF Congress. It is currently serving a 2021—2025 term.

IHF commissions

 * Italics means Acting Chairperson

IHF tournaments

 * Handball
 * IHF World Men's Handball Championship
 * IHF World Women's Handball Championship
 * IHF Men's Junior World Championship
 * IHF Women's Junior World Championship
 * IHF Men's Youth World Championship
 * IHF Women's Youth World Championship
 * IHF Emerging Nations Championship
 * IHF Inter-Continental Trophy
 * IHF Confederations Cup (proposed)


 * Beach handball
 * IHF Beach Handball World Championship
 * IHF Youth Beach Handball World Championship
 * IHF Beach Handball Global Tour


 * Wheelchair handball
 * IHF Wheelchair Handball World Championship


 * Club handball
 * IHF Super Globe
 * IHF Women's Super Globe


 * Multi-sport events
 * Handball at the Summer Olympics
 * Handball at the Youth Olympic Games (Defunct)
 * Beach handball at the World Games
 * Beach handball at the World Beach Games


 * Beach handball at the Youth Olympic Games

Continental title holders

 * * = Record titles

Member federations

 * Category A


 * Algeria
 * 🇦🇷 Argentina
 * 🇦🇹 Austria
 * 🇧🇾 Belarus
 * 🇧🇭 Bahrain
 * 🇨🇳 China
 * Croatia
 * 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
 * Denmark
 * 🇪🇸 Spain
 * 🇫🇷 France
 * 🇩🇪 Germany
 * 🇭🇺 Hungary
 * I. R. Iran
 * 🇮🇸 Iceland
 * 🇮🇹 Italy
 * 🇯🇵 Japan
 * 🇰🇷 South Korea
 * Saudi Arabia
 * Kuwait
 * 🇲🇪 Montenegro
 * Netherlands
 * 🇳🇴 Norway
 * Oman
 * 🇵🇱 Poland
 * 🇶🇦 Qatar
 * 🇷🇴 Romania
 * 🇷🇺 Russian Federation
 * Slovenia
 * 🇷🇸 Serbia
 * Switzerland
 * 🇸🇰 Slovakia
 * 🇸🇪 Sweden
 * United Arab Emirates


 * Category B


 * Angola
 * 🇧🇪 Belgium
 * 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina
 * 🇧🇷 Brazil
 * 🇪🇬 Egypt
 * 🇫🇮 Finland
 * Greece
 * 🇭🇰 Hong Kong, China
 * 🇮🇱 Israel
 * 🇯🇴 Jordan
 * 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
 * Libya
 * 🇱🇺 Luxembourg
 * 🇲🇦 Morocco
 * 🇲🇰 North Macedonia
 * Portugal
 * Singapore
 * 🇹🇳 Tunisia
 * 🇹🇷 Turkey
 * 🇺🇦 Ukraine


 * Category C


 * 🇦🇫 Afghanistan
 * 🇦🇱 Albania
 * 🇦🇩 Andorra
 * 🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda
 * 🇦🇲 Armenia
 * American Samoa
 * 🇦🇺 Australia
 * 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan
 * Bahamas
 * Bangladesh
 * Barbados
 * 🇧🇮 Burundi
 * 🇧🇯 Benin
 * Bhutan ✝
 * Belize ✝
 * 🇧🇴 Bolivia
 * Botswana
 * Brunei
 * 🇧🇬 Bulgaria
 * Burkina Faso
 * 🇨🇫 Central African Republic
 * Cambodia ✝
 * 🇨🇦 Canada
 * Cayman Islands ✝
 * Congo
 * Chad
 * Chile
 * 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast
 * 🇨🇲 Cameroon
 * 🇨🇩 DR Congo
 * 🇨🇰 Cook Islands
 * 🇨🇴 Colombia
 * 🇰🇲 Comoros
 * 🇨🇻 Cape Verde
 * Costa Rica
 * 🇨🇺 Cuba
 * 🇨🇾 Cyprus
 * 🇩🇯 Djibouti
 * 🇩🇲 Dominica
 * 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic
 * 🇪🇨 Ecuador
 * El Salvador
 * 🇪🇪 Estonia
 * 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
 * 🇫🇴 Faroe Islands
 * Fiji
 * 🇫🇲 Federated States of Micronesia
 * 🇬🇦 Gabon
 * Gambia
 * 🇬🇧 Great Britain
 * Guinea-Bissau
 * Georgia
 * Equatorial Guinea ✝
 * 🇬🇭 Ghana
 * 🇬🇱 Greenland
 * Grenada ✝
 * Guatemala
 * Guinea
 * 🇬🇺 Guam
 * 🇬🇾 Guyana ✝
 * Haiti
 * Honduras
 * Indonesia
 * 🇮🇳 India
 * 🇮🇪 Ireland
 * 🇮🇶 Iraq
 * British Virgin Islands ✝
 * 🇯🇲 Jamaica
 * 🇰🇪 Kenya
 * 🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan
 * 🇰🇮 Kiribati
 * Kosovo
 * 🇱🇦 Laos ✝
 * Latvia
 * Lebanon
 * 🇱🇷 Liberia
 * 🇱🇨 Saint Lucia
 * Lesotho
 * 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein
 * 🇱🇹 Lithuania
 * 🇲🇴 Macau,China
 * Madagascar
 * Malaysia
 * Malawi
 * 🇲🇩 Moldova
 * 🇲🇻 Maldives
 * 🇲🇽 Mexico
 * Mongolia
 * 🇲🇭 Marshall Islands
 * 🇲🇱 Mali
 * 🇲🇹 Malta
 * Monaco
 * 🇲🇿 Mozambique
 * Mauritius
 * Mauritania
 * 🇳🇦 Namibia ✝
 * Nicaragua
 * Nepal
 * Nigeria
 * Niger
 * 🇳🇷 Nauru ✝
 * 🇳🇿 New Zealand
 * 🇵🇰 Pakistan
 * 🇵🇦 Panama
 * Paraguay
 * 🇵🇪 Peru
 * Philippines
 * Palestine
 * 🇵🇼 Palau ✝
 * 🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea
 * 🇰🇵 North Korea
 * Puerto Rico
 * South Africa
 * 🇷🇼 Rwanda
 * Samoa
 * 🇸🇳 Senegal
 * Seychelles
 * Saint Kitts and Nevis
 * 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone
 * Solomon Islands
 * 🇸🇴 Somalia
 * Sri Lanka
 * 🇸🇸 South Sudan
 * 🇸🇹 São Tomé and Príncipe
 * Sudan
 * 🇸🇿 Swaziland
 * 🇸🇾 Syria
 * Tanzania
 * Tonga
 * 🇹🇭 Thailand
 * 🇹🇯 Tajikistan
 * 🇹🇲 Turkmenistan
 * Timor Leste
 * Togo
 * Chinese Taipei
 * Trinidad and Tobago
 * 🇹🇻 Tuvalu ✝
 * 🇺🇬 Uganda
 * Uruguay
 * 🇺🇸 United States of America
 * 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan
 * Vanuatu
 * 🇻🇪 Venezuela
 * Vietnam
 * 🇾🇪 Yemen
 * Zambia
 * Zimbabwe


 * ✝ means non-active member

Associated members

 * 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England
 * French Polynesia
 * 🇲🇵 Northern Mariana Islands
 * Scotland

Regional members

 * 🇬🇫 French Guiana
 * 🇬🇵 Guadeloupe
 * 🇲🇶 Martinique
 * 🇳🇨 New Caledonia

IHF Awards
The IHF issues awards to organisations and individuals in recognition of their particular contribution to developing the sport of handball and the IHF.

These awards are:
 * Hans Baumann Trophy (defunct after 2015, renamed as IHF President's Development Award)
 * IHF Badge of Merit
 * IHF Certificate of Merit
 * IHF Cup of Honour and certificate
 * IHF Hall of Fame
 * IHF Honorary President and Honorary Members
 * IHF Olympic Order
 * IHF Plaque of Merit
 * IHF President's Development Award
 * IHF Referee's Badge of Honour
 * IHF Referee's Diploma of Honour
 * IHF Ring of Honour
 * IHF World Coach of the Year
 * IHF World Player of the Year