It is with great sadness that the IHF has learnt of the passing of chairman of the Danish Handball Association, Morten Stig Christensen.

The Danish Handball Association has announced Christensen’s untimely passing, due to a cardiac arrest, on Friday, 

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Morten. He was passionate about the life of the Danish Handball Association and spreading handball, so that the sport and the community could make a difference for people of all ages and shapes. Our warmest thoughts and condolences go to Morten's family, said Heino Knudsen, the CEO of the Danish Handball Association.

A former player, Christensen has dedicated his life to handball, making his debut in the national team in 1976. He played for Denmark for 190 matches, scoring 445 goals, in a career spanning over more than 10 years, retiring in 1988. He featured in two Olympic Games editions – Moscow 1980 and Los Angeles 1984 – as a player, having also been a reserve at Montreal 1976.

He returned to the Danish Handball Association in 2007, as a secretary general, being named the chairman in 2021, supervising some of the biggest performances in the history of Danish handball, such as the third consecutive world title for the men’s team at the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship, the Olympic gold medal for the men’s team at Paris 2024, as well as the bronze medals secured by the women’s team at the 2021 and 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship and the bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Morten Stig Christensen is survived by his wife Anne Engdal Stig Christensen, children Christoffer, Josephine, Magnus, Mathilde, Naja and grandchildren.

IHF President Dr Hassan Moustafa joins those mourning the loss of Morten Stig Christensen on behalf of the IHF and the global handball family and expresses his condolences and sympathy to his family and loved ones in this difficult time.