Erwin Lanc, the fourth President of the IHF, who served between July 1984 and November 2000, has passed away on Saturday, 29 March 2025, at the age of 94 years old.

Born in Vienna in May 1930, a politician by trade, who has studied law at the University of Vienna, Lanc was always a handball afficionado, which he started playing at a young age. He featured for Austrian WAT Margareten, a team which eventually he ended up being the president at.

Then, from 1977 until 1995, he served as the President of the Austrian Handball Federation (ÖHB), while also being elected the President of the IHF between July 1984 and November 2000, when he was succeded by Dr Hassan Moustafa.

In all of his roles, Lanc worked tirelessly to develop the sport, and he was still close to handball after leaving his President roles, being names the Honorary President of the IHF, as well as the Honorary President of the ÖHB.

Lanc also hold tenures as the as Minister of Transport, then as Minister of the Interior, and finally as Minister of Foreign Affairs in several governments of Austria between 1973 and 1984.

From 1989 to 2008 he was the President of the International Institute for Peace.

“It is with profound sadness that I express my deepest condolences on behalf of the International Handball Federation (IHF) following the passing of our former President, Erwin Lanc. His leadership, dedication, and passion for handball were truly remarkable, and his loss is felt not only by the IHF but by the entire global handball community," said the IHF President, Dr Hassan Moustafa.

During his time as President, he was a tireless advocate for handball, working to make the sport better known and more popular. His vision helped elevate handball to new heights, and his unwavering commitment to the core values of the sport will forever be part of his legacy," added Dr Moustafa.