The Women’s Conference on handball was held in the Ritz-Carlton, Doha on Saturday the 30th of January, and was attended by women from handball federations all over the world. 

The format included presentations from the IHF and open discussion between members of the IHF and the various attendees. 

The conference focused largely on the continued development of women’s handball with regard to the running of major tournaments, and teams and athletes on a club and national level. 

President of the South African Handball Federation, Ruth Saunders, said the conference is an important initiative for women in handball.

“This conference is a good initiative from the IHF President. I'm so grateful for it and it's a good step in the right direction.

“What stood out for me at the conference is the recommendation from the IOC on minimum gender rates, staff development and integration of women into various leadership roles within Handball. Lastly the full support that we going to get from the IHF President and Commission for Development.”

Attendees were given the opportunity to discuss issues concerning the status of women’s handball in their respective countries, and while the situation between countries varies greatly, the passion and desire to develop women’s handball across the world was a common thread between all. 

Representatives from minor handball countries voiced their concern at having to compete with more popular sports, while the weaker European countries struggle with qualification and therefore gaining more match experience because they must face strong teams and are often eliminated. 

From an IHF perspective, ensuring the standard between men’s and women’s tournaments is the same is one of the most important considerations. 

More media coverage for handball across the world was also discussed as a way of increasing the popularity of handball.