# International Amateur Handball Federation

The International Amateur Handball Federation (IAHF) was the administrative and controlling body for handball and field handball. IAHF was responsible for the organisation of handball's major international tournaments, notably the World Men's Handball Championship, which commenced in 1938, and the World Men's Outdoor Handball Championship, which commenced in 1938. The organization was dissolved after World War II.

## History

On 13 September 1925 the first international field handball game between Germany and Austria happened. Because of this event, uniform rules and an international association were desired.
In 1926, the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF, now known as World Athletics) created a commission to govern all ball games played with the hands, such as field-handball, court-handball, volleyball and basketball. In the same year the first international field handball rules were created in The Hague.
Two years later during the 1928 Summer Olympics the IAAF invited national representatives to create an independent federation. Representatives from 11 countries founded the International Amateur Handball Federation on 4 August 1928 in Amsterdam. The later IOC president Avery Brundage and Lauri Pihkala how invented Pesäpallo were founding members.
The International Olympic Committee recognized handball as Olympic sport in 1933. Three years later during the 1936 Summer Olympics field handball had its first and last appearance at the Summer Olympics. At this point IAHF had 23 members.
In 1938 the first Outdoor and Indoor World Men's Handball Championship were organized by the IAHF.
In 1946 the successor the International Handball Federation was founded by Denmark and Sweden.

## Basketball

In 1934, oversight of basketball was transferred to the Fédération Internationale de Basketball (FIBB, now abbreviated FIBA).

## Volleyball

The first (failed) attempt to create an independent volleyball federation at the 1934 IAHF congress in Stockholm. During a friendly match between the Czech and French national teams on 26 August 1946 the two nations and Poland created a document to create an international federation. The following year 14 nations founded the FIVB in Paris between 18 and 20 April.

## Presidents

| | Name | Country | Start | End | Comment |
| 1. | Franz-Paul Lang | Germany | 1928 | 1931 | President of Deutschen Sportbehörde für Athletik |
| interim | Karl Ritter von Halt | Germany | 1931 | 1934 | IOC member |
| 2. | Karl Ritter von Halt | Germany | 1934 | 1938 | IOC member |
| 3. | Richard Herrmann | Germany | 1938 | 1941 | Head of the Handball and Basketball department of NSRL |
| 4. | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown | unknown |

## Members

Following counties were member of the IAHF as of the 4th IAHF-Congress:
| Country | Since | Until | Federation |
| Argentina | 18 May 1930 | | Argentine Basketball Confederation |
| Austria | 4 August 1928 | | Austrian Handball Federation |
| Belgium | 30 August 1934 | Between 30 August 1934 – 13 August 1936 |
| Brazil | 18 May 1930 | | Brazilian Sports Confederation |
| Canada | 4 August 1928 | | Amateur Athletic Union of Canada |
| Czechoslovakia | 4 August 1928 | | Ceskoslovensky Svaz Hazené |
| Denmark | 4 August 1928 | | Danish Athletics Federation |
| Egypt | 18 May 1930 | | Union Egyptienne des Sociétés Sportives |
| Estonia | 30 August 1934 | | Estonia Handball Association |
| Finland | 4 August 1928 | Between 30 August 1934 – 13 August 1936 |
| France | 4 August 1928 | | French Athletics Federation (1930) French Handball Federation of Metz (1936) |
| Germany | 4 August 1928 | | German Athletics Association (1930) NSRL (1936) |
| Greece | 4 August 1928 | Between 4 August 1928 – 18 May 1930 | Hellenic Amateur Athletic Association |
| Haiti | 30 August 1934 | | Fédération Haïtienne de Ballon à la Main Amateur |
| Hungary | 18 May 1930 | | Hungarian Handball Federation |
| Ireland | 4 August 1928 | | Irish Amateur Handball Association |
| Japan | 18 May 1930 | | Japan Association of Athletics Federations |
| Luxembourg | 30 August 1934 | | Luxembourg Athletics Federation |
| Netherlands | 30 August 1934 | | Netherlands Handball Association |
| Poland | 18 May 1930 | | Polski Zwiazek Gier Sportowych |
| Portugal | 13 August 1936 | | Associacao Lisbonense de Hand-Ball |
| Romania | 18 May 1930 | | Romanian Athletics Federation (1930) Romanian Handball Federation (1936) |
| Sweden | 4 August 1928 | | Swedish Athletics Association (1930) Swedish Handball Federation (1936) |
| Switzerland | 18 May 1930 | | Swiss Gymnastics Federation (1929–1939) Schweizerischer Handballausschuss (1939–1946) |
| United States | 4 August 1928 | | Amateur Athletic Union of the United States |
| Uruguay | 30 August 1934 | | Centro Athletico «Gimnasia y Deportes» |
| Yugoslavia | 30 August 1934 | Between 30 August 1934 – 13 August 1936 |
* ↑ According to a swiss source from 1952 they joined already in 1929.