Korfbal, this mixed and equal collective sport which celebrates its 120th anniversary

Atmosphere during a korfball match.

Pro Shots/Sipa USA via Reuters C - Pro Shots Photo Agency

Text by: David Kalfa Follow

4 mins

Korfbal, a joint collective sport, celebrates its 120th anniversary this year.

This discipline, created in 1902 in the Netherlands, is unique: it opposes two teams composed of half men and half women.

A mix that is still rare in the world of sport.

Advertisement

Read more

With Paris 2024, the Olympic Games will be equal for the very first time: there will be as many women as men at these Olympic Games.

For a very wide mix during the competitions, it will still be necessary to wait, on the other hand.

At Tokyo 2021, 18 mixed events were already organized, in athletics, badminton, judo, swimming, equestrian sports, tennis, table tennis, shooting, archery, triathlon and sailing.

But none – at least among the team sports – was purely and exclusively mixed and parity like korfbal.

Derived from a Swedish game

This one

was created 120 years ago in the Netherlands

, by a teacher who wanted to find physical activity for the girls and boys in his school.

In 1902, Nico Broekhuysen achieved this by taking inspiration from a game (ring) discovered during a trip to Sweden.

The principle of korfball

?

Two teams made up of eight people, four women and four men, compete there on two surfaces with baskets 3.5 meters high, false cousins ​​of those of basketball.

The goal: to put a ball there.

The rules forbid dribbling.

Participants must therefore circulate the ball with passes.

Another restriction: a man does not have the right to defend against a woman and vice versa.

A summary of what korfball is

“ 

Korfball is the only fully egalitarian sport (between the sexes) in the world

, prides itself on its international federation (IKF).

With 100% equal teams, included in the rules of the game since the existence of the sport in 1902, it is fair to say that (gender) equality is part of the DNA and the key value of korfbal.

We believe that playing sports is much more fun together.

Our ball bounces the same for everyone, everywhere.

Because it doesn't matter who you are and what you do.

Male or female, young or old, pro or amateur

 .

A progressive opening to the world

Only downside, the korfbal seems to be internationalizing slowly.

Its competitions are on the one hand ultra dominated by the Netherlands and Belgium, two historic nations where matches can attract thousands of spectators.

On the other hand, only less than 70 countries are affiliated to the IKF.

Among them, ten from Africa, including Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Morocco.

The Cherifian kingdom will also host the World Korfbal on the beach, on August 19 and 20, 2022 in Nador.

By the end of the year, the 5th African Championships should also take place, confirms the IKF to RFI.

Unsurprisingly, South Africa, which won the first four editions, in 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018, and which organized the last Worlds (in 2019), will be the favorite ahead of Zimbabwe and Zambia.

The Dutch team winning a competition (here, Euro 2021) ahead of Belgium (right), a recurring image after major korfball competitions.

BELGA via Reuters Connect - TOM GOYVAERTS

Olympic ambitions

Despite these difficulties, korfbal nevertheless hoped to eventually integrate the Summer Olympics, while the "basket ball" was demonstrated in Antwerp in 1920 and in Amsterdam in 1928. " 

The dream and the vision of the IKF are 'to be included in the program of the Olympic Games, and to be the first fully egalitarian sport (between the sexes) at the Olympic Games 

,' underlines the IKF.

To maximize the chances of making their way through the jungle of disciplines expected at Los Angeles 2028 or Brisbane 2032, the IKF is thus considering " 

new korfball formats with a smaller number of players compared to 8-man korfball 

", explains the Utrecht-based institution.

In the meantime, we will have to continue to turn to the World Games, a sort of antechamber to the Olympic Games, the next edition of which will take place from July 7 to 17 in Birmingham (southeastern United States), to see korfball during a large-scale multi-sport event.

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_EN

  • Sports