As the International Handball Federation prepares for a pivotal presidential election in December, attention is turning toward a rarely discussed issue: member nations considered “non-active.” Behind the scenes, questions are emerging about how many federations actually meet the criteria to vote.
“Maintaining even minimal contact with the IHF is usually enough to be considered active. It takes an extraordinary amount for a federation to be classified as non-active – just look at the criteria,” says an anonymous source with deep insight into the IHF.
In the buildup to the upcoming IHF presidential election, the status of several member nations is becoming an increasingly sensitive topic. According to the IHF’s own rules, a federation classified as “non-active” loses its right to vote – a detail that could influence the balance of power in what is shaping up to be one of the most significant leadership contests in recent years.
But determining which nations fall into this category is far from straightforward. While some cases are clear, others are obscured by outdated contact details, unavailable officials, or federations that exist only on paper. Emails to national federation addresses listed on the IHF website often bounce back. In other cases, calls to the phone numbers provided lead only to automated messages: “This number has no subscriber.” The result is a landscape where the true scope of inactivity is difficult to verify.
What is clear, however, are the criteria for being deemed non-active. A federation must meet all three of the following conditions (according to the IHF regulations):
1, No handball activity in the country.
2, No handball stakeholders present – meaning no functioning organizations, coaches, referees, or players.
3, No communication with the continental federation or the IHF.
Only when every criterion is fulfilled does a member lose its voting rights.
“Just look at the criteria”
A source with deep insight into the IHF system describes just how high the threshold is – and how rare it is for a federation to be officially classified as inactive:
“Maintaining even minimal contact with the IHF is usually enough to be considered active. It takes an extraordinary amount for a federation to be classified as non-active – just look at the criteria.”
Despite that high bar, several nations are already considered non-active across the federation’s continental divisions:
Asia: Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos.
North America & the Caribbean: Cayman Islands, Grenada, British Virgin Islands.
Oceania: Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.
South & Central America: Guyana.
Still, this list may only reflect part of the reality. There could be more nations that effectively meet the criteria – but confirming inactivity remains challenging due to the lack of reliable communication lines. The opacity raises broader questions about the governance structure within the IHF and how accurately the organization tracks the status of its global membership.
But not everyone is buying the rumors that there are handball federations out there that don’t really exist. Philippe Bana of the French handball federation said this to GoHandball:
“I don’t think that there are any ghost federations.”
As December’s election approaches, the issue of voting eligibility – and which members truly remain active – may play a quietly influential role.
GoHandball have asked the IHF to comment.
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