The Korfball Players Federation of India (KFI), which represents India in international korfball competitions, oversees the national korfball team of India.
The oldest korfball-playing nation in Asia is India. Since 1979, when the game was first introduced in India, Korfball Players has grown in popularity. Currently, 27 States host matches, with each state having its association to promote and plan tournaments. The Government of India and the Union Ministry for Youth Affairs and Sports both recognize korfball, and national championships in the senior, junior, and sub-junior divisions as well as inter-university and inter-school competitions are often organized.
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Korfball Players Surprising Facts
- Nico Broekhuysen, a Dutch physical education teacher, founded korfball in 1902 to develop a sport that both boys and girls could participate in at school. At the time, this was thought to be somewhat groundbreaking.
- What is even more astonishing in 2019 is that it is still the only team sport with Olympic recognition that was created with mixed-gender teams in mind.
- Since the Dutch word for “basket” is “Korf,” korfball IS basketball in their language.
- In 1920 and 1928, korfball was a demonstration sport at the Olympic Games. The World Games, a multi-sport competition organized every four years for sports that are not (yet) competed in at the main Olympic Games, are where it is now played.
- Over 70 nations play korfball, and the UK has done so since the Second World War. In August 2019, England will compete in the World Championships in Durban, South Africa, where they are seeded sixth.
- The South African cousin of Korfball Players, currently known as Ringball but formerly known as Korfball, is typically played by teams of men or women. ring ball has been compared to a cross between rugby and netball.
- Korfball can be played on a variety of surfaces; while indoor courts are the preferred choice for international competitions, the sport can also be played on grass, AstroTurf, and outdoor hard courts. Even water korfball and ice korfball exist!
- Beach korfball has developed into a competitive sport in and of itself. In July 2019, France will host the next Beach Korfball World Cup.
- Zhengzhou University in China offers a Ph.D. program in korfball and is home to the International Korfball Research Center.
- Half-Man Half-Biscuit, a band from Merseyside, even composed a pop song about korfball titled “Joy in Leeuwarden” about attending the 2010 European Championships.
Beach Korfball Players
In several nations around the world, beach korfball has been played for many years. Beach korfball is currently played (recreationally or competitively) in 36 nations.
Throughout the years, various forms have been used. The 4 vs 4 formats, with each team consisting of two men and two women, was formalized when the IKF issued the official beach korfball regulations in 2015.
The inclusion of beach korfball in the IKF Competition Calendar was decided at the IKF Executive Committee meeting in September 2016. To promote the growth of beach korfball, the IKF Beach Korfball Players Committee was established.
All of this culminated in “The Open European Beach Korfball Championship 2017,” the inaugural IKF European Beach Korfball Players Championship. In August 2017, this event was held in The Hague, Netherlands. Following this tournament, the IKF Beach Korfball World Cup (Europe) in its different iterations was held (2018 and 2019). 2019 marks the debut of the Beach Korfball World Cup (Asia). The IKF World Beach Korfball Championship’s inaugural event was held in 2022 after being postponed from 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Outdoor Korfball
Other than on beaches, outdoor korfball is typically played on (artificial) grass. The game is played with two Korfball Players teams of eight players each playing in one of two zones, similar to indoor korfball. There are no international competitions for outdoor Korfball Players, which are primarily played in Belgium and The Netherlands.
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Korfball Players National team’s current lineup for the 2011 World Championship:
Korfball Players Shalini, Chetna, Pooja Thapa, Natasha Srishti Kansar, Sushila Saini, and Savita, Captain Pardeep Dahiya, Nitesh, Richard Chhikara, Balhara, Saurabh Dev Kumar, Puneet
Senior coach: Mukesh Khandelwal
Korfball Players National team competing in the 2007 World Championship:
Korfball Players Shweta Dutta and Amita Jaiswal, Priti, Kavita Saini, Chetna, Sushila Saini, Gurpreet Kaur T, Lalita Agarwal, Kuldeep Singh, Pardeep Dahiya, Anil Kumar, Manjeet Singh, Irfan Chowdhary, Lakhmichand, Dev Balhara
Mukesh Khandelwal is the head coach, with Sanjeev Kumar and Satinder Kumar serving as assistants.