The third edition of the International Handball Week – seven days of celebrating handball’s past, present and future – has now officially started, with a plethora of special activities scheduled over the next seven days.

Marking the day of the official foundation of the International Handball Federation (IHF), 12 July 1946, it also starts the celebration on all continents and at all levels, as handball has undergone a serious makeover over the last couple of decades, becoming more accessible and inclusive throughout the globe.

In the next seven days, handball and all of its disciplines will be celebrated and with theme days focusing on different aspects of the sport, the IHF would like to bring you closer to the main shareholders in handball.

“Making handball better, improving the quality of the sport and creating a canvas where every player can express themselves freely is our mission at the International Handball Federation. However, there is a moment when we need to celebrate the sport itself – its history, its present and its future,” said Dr Hassan Moustafa, the President of the International Handball Federation.

Over the last 76 years, the IHF has been one of the guardians of the game, ensuring its development on all continents, forging and further developing the greatest tournaments in the world, while also constantly innovating and creating new directions for handball.

“Before the International Handball Week was created, our sport did not have its own dedicated day of celebration – and after deciding on the official day, we saw that one day is not enough to properly celebrate the sport we all love. With that, the International Handball Week was born, as the first edition was held in 2020, in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic with all its hardships. The success of this first edition proved us right, as everyone stood united in this one week and handball brought people closer together in a time that they physically could not. 

“Sport is one of the vehicles – maybe even one of the most important ones – to build a better and more peaceful world in these turbulent times. And it was proven, time and time again, that handball is one of these vehicles, which can truly bring people together to the table. While its value as entertainment is unhinged, there is truly an important social side to handball,” added Dr Moustafa.

This year’s edition of the International Handball Week will also be marked accordingly on the official website of the IHF, with special features which will, among others, explore how a day unfolds in the life of players, coaches and referees.

The IHF social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) will have plenty of content with some surprises for fans included. Stay tuned – you will not want to miss out. 

“On behalf of the entire IHF, I would like to say how much we appreciate all of your efforts to grow and promote our sport and we all look forward to seeing and hearing about your activities this week,” concluded the IHF President.