On Thursday, 7 March 2024, IHF President Dr Hassan Moustafa welcomed a delegation from the Royal Belgian Handball Federation (URBH/KBHB) to the IHF Head Office in Basel, Switzerland. The Royal Belgian Handball Federation was represented by their President Mr Jean-François Hannosset as well as their Secretary General Mr Dries Boulet and their technical director Mr Jonathan Vandeberg.

The meeting agenda focused on the development of the Royal Belgian Handball Federation, with its stability as the first talking point, followed by an overview of the support granted by the International Handball Federation (IHF) to further promote handball in Belgium, whose men’s national team qualified for the first time in history for the IHF Men’s World Championship in 2023, finishing in 21st place.

The topics of discussion became more technical, with the development of the women’s and men’s national teams, as well as the status of the younger age categories’ national teams, breaching the future of Belgian handball as a whole.

Moreover, Belgium presented an education plan, which is paramount to their development, as well as the progress of the Belgium wheelchair handball project, as the federation is making great strides in setting up the team for future competitions.

IHF President Dr Hassan Moustafa concluded the meeting, stressing the importance of  continuing to invest in the IHF projects in Belgium, while he is looking forward for Belgium to extend their streak of qualifications for IHF World Championships.