With the Women’s U20 World Championship coming to an end, another major milestone for women’s handball took place. Led by legend Katrine Lunde, the IHF Women’s Working Group held its first official meeting in Pitesti.
In May 2026, the IHF Women’s Working Group was created. The group consists of eight players and coaches from different parts of the world, with former star goalkeeper Katrine Lunde serving as chairwoman.
The project was created to help support the IHF’s four-year plan to grow women’s handball across all areas of the sport. The first meeting was held this weekend, with the group attending the Women’s U20 World Championship final in Pitesti.
The first meeting focused on introducing the group to the IHF structure, with President Hassan Mustafa also in attendance. Some of the other key points were strategies to help develop the women’s game, with one of the biggest focuses being on helping former elite players transition into new roles within the sport.
– Our goal is not only to encourage more girls to play handball, but also to see more women become coaches, referees, delegates and leaders within the sport. At the most basic level, we simply want more women to be involved in handball, because we all love the game, said chairwoman Katrine Lunde on the IHF website.
The group will continue its work with two more meetings scheduled for 2026. The group will then start submitting recommendations to the different bodies within the IHF.