The International Handball Federation (IHF) and the International School Sports Federation (ISF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Friday evening on the outskirts of the 28th IHF Men’s World Championship, the final weekend of which will take place at the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by IHF President Dr. Hassan Moustaf and ISF President Laurent Petrynek during halftime of the second semi-final of the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championships between Sweden and France.
With this newly established partnership, the overall aim is to encourage and develop handball and use it as an educational tool for youth, which further strengthens the collaboration between the two institutions.
This Covenant will strengthen the promotion of handball in schools and school sporting events, both nationally and internationally, raising awareness of the sport and encouraging more youth to play the sport from an early age through better cooperation and communication with local authorities.
According to Petrynka, handball was one of the main pillars of young children’s development through sport, being the most played team sport in several countries around the world.
Handball is also one of the most important sports of Gymnasiade, an event held every two years, the largest international multidisciplinary event for school students aged 16-18.
Over the last decade, the International Handball Federation (IHF) has placed great emphasis on the development of handball at all levels, even among the youngest, launching in 2011 a training and education program for teachers and physical education coaches in schools on all continents called Handball at school (H@S).
IHF gives the opportunity to introduce a comprehensive training and education program for teachers and physical education trainers in schools on all continents. The H@S program introduces and teaches handball with rules adapted to make the game accessible, challenging and enjoyable for children aged 5 to 17.
“This Memorandum of Understanding is very important to both the IHF and ISF as it recognizes the importance of sport development in schools. The IHF has many experts who try to bring their knowledge and experience to have the best possible development of the sport from an early age,” says Petrynka.
“We have a great working relationship with the IHF and I want to thank the IHF President Dr. Hassan Moustafa because we share the same spirit and values. Handball embodies the great values ??of the sport – respect and fair play – between all its stakeholders.”
We look forward to more developed ISF Handball events in the future!
