Events

History of Beach Korfball

Beach Korfball has been a topic of speech for a few years since 2014, the IKF was willing to innovate as a sport and wanted to introduce a new variant of the game. Korfball was already being played on the beach in mulitple countries, althoug this was mostly as a fun activity and not as an organized or supported sport activity. Yet the Beach Korfball was and would be popular so the IKF asked around for the interest in it as an organized sport, multiple countries reacted in a postive and enthusiastic way, so Beach Korfball was the variant to aim at. Currently Beach Korfball is being played (recreational or in competition) in 36 countries.

It was during a meeting in September 2016 of the EXCO of the IKF that they voted in favour to start investing and developing in Beach Korfball by organizing an first ever Open European Beach Korfball Championship. This tournament would be the big start of Beach Korfball in general and immediately to enthuse members in being/becoming active in Beach Korfball.
A special Beach Korfball Committee has been created to develop Beach Korfball into an offcial IKF Korfball sport, this committee will develop and arrange all necessarily things that will need to be done and will have full responsibility for IKF Beach Korfball.

The first ever European Beach Korfball Championship will be organized from 19 till 20 August in The Hague BeachStadium, organized by the KNKV as a host.

History of the IKF

The International Korfball Federation (IKF) was founded in Antwerp (Belgium) on the 11 June 1933 as a continuation of the International Korfball Bureau established in 1924 by the Dutch and Belgian Associations.

The IKF was officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1993 and is affiliated to the Association of the IOC Recognized International Sports Federations (ARISF), the International World Games Association (IWGA) and Sportaccord (Sportaccord).

The IKF aims to spread korfball around the globe. It provides sixty seven (67) (as per 7 November 2015) affiliated member countries with financial, material, and structural support to achieve this goal. Philippines (61), Ghana (62), Costa Rica (63), Colombia (64), Ivory Coast (65), Cameroon (66), Morocco (67), Switzerland (68) and Sri Lanka (69) are the most recent new (associated) members after the decisions of the General Meeting 7 November 2015 in Antwerp (BEL). This General Meeting expelled Denmark and Surinam due to a lack of korfball activity.

The IKF has established a network of contacts in many countries and actively promotes the game by transfering knowledge internationally by exchange programmes and inviting selected korfball players, coaches, and administrators to its training courses in order to create a stable local structure in all 67 affiliated countries – see under IKF Members – on which a flourishing korfball organisation can be built.

The IKF is organised in five Continental Confederations – IKF Africa, IKF Americas, IKF Asia, IKF Europe and IKF Oceania – since 2011.

The IKF General Meeting is the highest authority in the IKF. The IKF is managed on a daily base by the IKF Executive Committee – 8 members – and the IKF Council – 12 members.

The IKF stimulates the global awareness that korfball is a spectator, mixed gender, media oriented and innovative teamsport.