New appointment supports French-speaking international development

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With the recent re-invigoration of French korfball, and korfball development gaining momentum in numerous African Francophone countries, the IKF’s Development and Education Committee (DEC) has added Dirk Sercu to its membership, with his appointment to the new role as development officer for French-speaking countries.

Bringing a long and distinguished korfball career as a player and coach in Belgium and the Netherlands to his new role, as well as coaching England’s national senior team from 2003 to 2007, Dirk was also recently appointed as coach of Belgian champion club Boeckenberg.

His first official duty as a member of the DEC is a visit to Ivory Coast from 1 to 10 July, where Dirk and DEC colleague Theo van der Linde will participate in a series of clinics and other activities administered by Federation Ivoirienne de Korfball.

This is the second recent appointment aimed at sustaining korfball development in new IKF member countries. In May the IKF DEC appointed Peter Busik of Slovakia as project manager for Eastern Europe. An international player and referee, Peter’s new role is to support and consolidate korfball development activities in various countries including Romania, Slovakia, Serbia, Greece and Armenia.

IKF Exco and IKF committee members awarded

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IKF Executive Committee member Mr Frank Buvens received Saturday 26 March 2016 the honorary membership of the Royal Belgium Korfball Federation (KBKB). Frank Buvens served the KBKB for many years as Director Topkorfball. Last Saturday he stepped down as KBKB Exco member.

IKF IT committee and IKF Jury member Mr Pierre Coppens received the KBKB honorary membership as well for his dedicated long lasting service for competitions in the KBKB. Pierre Coppens stepped down as well as KBKB exco member. Besides this title as KBKB honorary Member Pierre Coppens hold the IKF Badge of Honor.

Buvens Coppens Ruts 2016 KBKB

From right to left; Mrs Danielle Ruts, KBKB President, Mr Frank Buvens, Mr Pierre Coppens

Further received Mr Daniel de Rudder a Life TIme Award from the KBKB for his long lasting excellent career in korfball. The General Meeting of the KBKB gave Daniel a standing ovation to show her appreciation. Daniel de Rudder holds the IKF Badge of Honor as well.
Daniel de Rudder 2016 KBKB

Mr Alex Elewaut received a KBKB distinction as well 26 March 2016 for his distinghuised long lasting service to korfball. Mrs Danielle Ruts handed him the distinction as KBKB Badge of honor. The KBKB General Meeting gave Alex a well deserved big hand of applause.

Alex Elewaut 2016 KBKB

The IKF congratulates Frank Buvens, Pierre Coppens, Daniel de Rudder and Alex Elewaut with their distinctions by the KBKB.

 

Annelies Vandenberghe awarded IKF Pin of Merit

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Friday 6 November 2015 Ms Annelies Vandenberghe, Belgian international, was awarded IKF Pin of Merit following her outstanding contributions to IKF Athletes Committee ad WADA Athletes Committee.

IKF President, Mr Jan Fransoo, presented her the distinction in front of the Belgian team, her partner, her parents and the complete IKF Council.

Annelies Vandenberghe 2015 11 06

IKF Level III Youth Camp a great succes

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All participants in the IKF Level III Youth Camp finished the camp very successful.

Guided by Mr Ben Crum as project manager the group was very eager to absorb korfball training and coaching knowledge. Ben Crum is a well known Dutch coach with PKC, writer of various korfball training books and IKF Honorary member.

Ben had former Dutch national coach, Mr Jan Sjouke van den Bos to do lectures and sessions during the week as well.

After the presentations all 22 partuicipants showed up for the photo.

All 5 IKF continents were active and represented in the youth camp.

Ben Crum and Frans Walvis in the closing ceremony

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IKF Level III “Youth Coach Camp” join International Week Dordrecht 2015

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Some exciting events are underway this week from 16 to 22 August in Dordrecht, the Netherlands. First of all, IKF in liaison with KNKV run the IKF Level III “Youth Coach Camp”. An international group of 22 coaches perform under guidance of current coach of Dutch korfball champion PKC, Mr. Ben Crum. He is appointed as a program manager for this course. Mr. Crum lead a group of prestigious coaches invited to guide the participants in the “Youth coach camp” and learn all about coaching drills at youth level. Amongst this group of tutors, coach of Dutch national team Mr. Wim Scholtmeijer, Mr .Jan Sjouke van den Bos, head of coaches for the KNKV and Mr Detlef Elewaut, coach of Belgium national team, conduct some of the sessions.

During the week several training sessions take place at different Dordrecht clubs featuring local korfballers from 11 to 16 years coming from the clubs: DeetosSnel, Sporting Delta, Movado, Oranje Wit, KC Dordrecht together with some players from KC Barcelona. The training sessions will be useful as a practice for the 22 coaches from 15 different countries representing all five continents. They participate this week in order to obtain the IKF level III diploma for international coaches:

Coach Country M/F
1 Javi Navarro Catalonia M
2 Nigel Cooper Scotland M
3 David Konecny Czech Republic M
4 Bandor Nagy Hungary M
5 Kevin De Waele Belgium M
6 Joe Stirling England M
7 Liandri Theyse South Africa F
8 Danie Smith South AFrica M
9 Pardeep Dahiya India M
10 Alice Chinese Taipei F
11 Bird Chinese Taipei F
12 Karen Fuchs Germany F
13 Keisuke Mashiba Japan M
14 Anna Schutze Germany F
15 Daniel Rivillini Brazil M
16 Maria J. Capparelli Argentina F
17 Sebastian J. Iula Argentina M
18 Diego Rodrigo Argentina M
19 Luciana Bortoletto Brazil F
20 Rosa Cooper New Zealand F
guest Chattha Imtiaz Ahmad Pakistan M
guest Hashmi Shamsa Pakistan F

For some years, IKF and KNKV work closely together in order to involve all korfball nations pursuing to raise their level of play.

For that purpose we provide coaches with a complete program for coaching youth teams. This should be planned and executed with accuracy; furthermore the IKF Level III “Youth Coach Camp” is an opportunity to enjoy a unique experience, sharing one week with coaches from all around the world in the excellent environment of one of the greatest korfball cities in the world and hosted by well-known club DeetosSnel. The clubs from Dordrecht opens its doors to an international program for coach education and provide the best facilities to perform during this week.

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Mady Tims IWGA athlete of the month

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Today the International World Games Association published the announcement:

Congratulations to Mady Tims, IWGA Athlete of the Month for April 2015. The Korfball player (38) from the Netherlands gave her farewell at the Dutch Korfball League Finale on 11 April. More than 10,000 spectators at the sold-out Ahoy arena in Rotterdam experienced the touching goodbye.  She left the court right after her PKC/SWK Groep teammate, Johannis Schott, scored four seconds before the end the winning point.

With a huge cheer from her fans, white tulips from her teammates, and tears in her eyes, it was a moment to be cherished. Her club, PKC, won the final match against TOP by a score of 22 to 21. Mady Tims left the court as a champion. She helped to make it happen by scoring a point  in the final. It was the 500th korf in her career as a player for PKC.

The English commentator of the match described her as the “most fantastic player in the world of Korfball”. Jan Fransoo, President of the International Korfball Federation, called her, “a korfball icon”. She said after the match and her emotional farewell, “Korfball is my passion”. She added, “There are so many great moments I can look back to.”

Indeed, “Lady” (her nickname) Tims is a three-time European Champion, and three-time World Champion with the national team of the Netherland. The Dutch team, with her help, won the TWG 2005 Gold Medal in Duisburg, Germany.

“Winning the title with PKC made my last match so special”, she said after the match in Rotterdam in April. That’s the way she likes to step down. In 2011 when she retired from the Dutch national team, it was the final of the World Korfball Championship in China. The title match against the archrival Belgium was her final international competition. She scored three times for her team, which won 32:26. 
Watch her last match and the emotional moment of her substitution four seconds before the end of the final on The World Games Channel.

Learn more about Korfball on The World Games Channel.

The full article plus photos follow the link: Link to the article on Mady Tims

Photo credits: http://www.actiefotografie.nl/

Korfball likely part of Dutch bid to host European Games

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The Royal Netherlands Korfball Association KNKV today announced to be involved in the Dutch bid for the 2019 European Games. In a statement on its website, KNKV President Rob Meijer expressed confidence in KNKV being able to meet the requirements of the organizing Netherlands Olympic Committee NOC*NSF.

The European Games will be held for the first time in July 2015 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The sports program in Baku contains both Olympic disciplines and disciplines that are not part of the Olympic Program. In the latter category, Olympic Federations present new disciplines (such as 3×3 basketball and beach soccer), joined by IOC Recognized Federations such as karate.

In the program envisaged by the Netherlands’ bid, such mixture will also be created. Korfball being one of the few sports able to fill large indoor stadiums like Ahoy in Rotterdam and Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam to capacity, is likely to draw large crowds to the Games were they held in the Netherlands.

IKF President Fransoo respond happily to the European initiative, as this is fully in line with the IKF strategy to be part of more of the continental games. In Asia, participation in the Asian Indoor Games is being pursued by IKF Asia President Huang.

Geert Keuning awarded the IKF Pin of Merit

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The IKF has awarded its Pin of Merit to Mr Geert Keuning from Leeuwarden (Netherlands) for outstanding service for the development of korfball. In 1995 Mr Keuning was one of the initiators to organize a youth korfball team from Leeuwarden to travel by bus to Russia as part of the city’s friendship link with Orel. This trip served as the birth of korfball in Russia. Over the subsequent 20 years, Mr Keuning has continued to support the development of korfball in Russia, many years as the official IKF development officer for Russia. To this very date Mr Keuning is active as a supporter, mostly in the background, to assist the Russian with many practical matters. He has also maintained the korfball friendship link between Leeuwarden and Orel, which was captured in a TV documentary of the Frisian TV a few years ago. Apart from his volunteering for the IKF, Mr Keuning has been organiser of the U19 Korfball World Cup since 9 years on behalf of the KNKV to support the Local Organizing Committee of the U19 Korfball World Cup.

IKF President Fransoo presented Keuning with the Pin just before the final of this year’s 20th U19 Korfball World Cup; 5 April 2015.

Jos van Meersbergen knighted

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21 March 2015 Mr Jos VAN MEERSBERGEN (NED) was taken by surprise. The mayor of the city of Schijndel, Mrs.Jetty EUGSTER, showed up in the Dioscuren Sportsvenue and after a speech handed Jos a royal order awarded by the king of the Netherlands.

Jos was given this order for his long lasting work for korfball both national and international; for his club Boemerang and for the U17 Korfball World Cup. His determination and ongoing commitment to the U17 KWC developed this annual youth event as the most important U16 and now U17 korfball event in the world.

The IKF Council gratulates Jos VAN MEERSBERGEN with this well deserved distinction and hopes he will continue many more years in good health with the U17 KWC.

Jos van Meersbergen 21 March 2015

Marc Breugelmans awarded the IKF Pin of Merit

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Mr Marc Breugelmans (BEL) is awarded the IKF Pin of Merit by the IKF Executive Committee. The distinction was presented 1 February 2015 in Bergisch Gladbach (GER) by IKF Senior Vice-President, Mr Frans Walvis. In Bergisch Gladbach Marc was member of the jury during the IKF Europa Shield.

Marc is a commited IKF volunteer. For many years he serves as IKF jurymember in many international IKF events all over the world. Further he is closely involved in the work behind the scenes related to the IKF jury software, i.e. he brings content in the worldkorfball.org system.

His outstanding performances over many years makes this IKF Pin of Merit well deserved and we are sure Marc will continue with this work in the years ahead of us.10959855_831134846924856_4972287427054824893_n

Marc Breugelmans is on the left with his IKF EShield collegues.