The largest IHF Continental Confederation, the Confédération Africaine de Handball (CAHB), or African Handball Confederation, has today (Monday, 6 April) officially revealed its new logo – the second one in the history of the organisation which turned 47 years old in January.

After a proposal was put forward at the CAHB Congress in Tunisia at the beginning of this year, under delegation of authority from the Congress to the CAHB Council, the Council adopted the logo during its session held on 24 January in Hammamet.

“The former logo was not easy to exploit in the different ways in which we needed to use it,” said a CAHB spokesperson to IHF.info. “After consulting with brand and design experts we were all in agreement that it should change because it did not meet today’s visual requirements as there were too many elements and colours.

The new, circular, logo features just three colours – blue, white and yellow – with distinct, clear lettering of the continental federation and a player rising from it, ready to shoot towards goal.

“The three colours selected featured within the six colours of the previous logo,” added the spokesperson. “The circle represents the spirit of the sporting movement – it does not feature any sides and thus involves all those who share the same passion for handball; it inspires teamwork and cohesion.

“The dark blue colour deals with truth, confidence and loyalty, and, in a clear tone, it is associated with freedom, dreams, modernity and management, while the melting of the two blues through the use of a gradient gives an aspect to the circle of a globe – a sign of universality – and of a ball.

“The unisex handball player icon between the two letters ‘HB’ of ‘CAHB’ also highlights the word ‘Handball’ and is the most visible element of the logo due to its yellow tint – there is not any colour which is more joyful, inspiring and radiant as yellow; it is the colour of the sun, and one of the best colours to represent Africa.”

The CAHB, an apolitical non-profit organisation, was founded on 15 January 1973 in Lagos, Nigeria, and is the largest confederation of all six which make up the IHF, with 53 members.

Ahead of the CAHB’s birth, a committee was established in Tunisia in 1972 with authorisation to prepare for its foundation on the occasion of the second African Games, held in Lagos, in January 1973.

Six federations – Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Senegal and Cameroon – were part of the working group, which the temporary executive board consisting of President Dr Nabil Salem (EGY), Secretary General Babacar Fall (SEN), Treasurer Mohamed N’Cerie (MAR) and members Saleh Brahimi (ALG) and Slim Ben Ghachem (TUN).

The CAHB founding congress took place on 15 January 1973 in Lagos, attended by Alberto de San Roman (ESP), Vice-President of the IHF and the following year, 1974, the first continental championships were held, with Tunisia winning all four (men’s, women’s, men’s youth and men’s junior).

The first CAHB president was the Egyptian Dr Nabil Salem, who presided initially from 1973-1978. He was followed by Senegalese Babacar Fall from 1978 until his death in 1993, when Dr Salem returned until 1995. 

The following year, Christophe Yap Achy from Cote d’Ivoire took charge until 2008, when the present incumbent and former Secretary General of the CAHB, Mansourou Aremou from Benin, was voted in as the fourth different person to become CAHB President.

For more information about the CAHB, visit their website, in French and English, at www.cahbonline.info.