As debates intensify ahead of the IHF’s presidential election, one question keeps resurfacing: how large is the International Handball Federation compared to other global sports organizations? A closer look reveals that while the IHF sits among the bigger federations – if you purely look at the numbers.
In international sports politics, size matters. The number of member nations not only signals global reach, but often shapes influence, voting dynamics, and development priorities. With handball frequently positioning itself as a major global sport, it is worth comparing its membership with that of other leading international federations.
Here is how the IHF stacks up:
International Table Tennis Federation: 226 members
International Volleyball Federation: 222 members
World Athletics: 214 members
FIBA (Basketball): 213 members
World Taekwondo: 212 members
FIFA (Football): 211 members
International Handball Federation: 211 members
World Aquatics: 209 members
International Tennis Federation: 207 members
Union Cycliste Internationale: 205 members
International Gymnastics Federation: 148 members
International Golf Federation: 147 members
ICC – Cricket: 110 members
The numbers show that the IHF sits firmly within the upper tier of global sports federations – tied with FIFA at 211 members.
In a period where questions about transparency, activity levels, and communication dominate the handball landscape, the federation’s size remains both a point of pride and a reminder: global reach only matters if global members are truly active.
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