WADA Conference in South Africa

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The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has just held its most important Congress for over four years in Johannesburg (RSA). The IKF was represented by the Secretary General and IKF Africa also had an observer at the event.

The main topics at the Conference were the coming changes to the WADA Code, due to come into effect on 1 January 2015, and the new requirements made upon International Federations, National Anti-Doping Organisations and their athletes’ requirements concerning testing, whereabouts and TUEs.

During 2014 the IKF and all countries will need to bring their Anti-Doping Rules in line with the new Code.

THE CHALLENGE: one week to reach 1,000 Facebook Fans!

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Time to spread korfball worldwide. Invite your friends to like this page, so all korfball fans around the world follow the latest international korfball news.

[fb_embed_post href=”https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=611494368909131&set=a.541832675875301.1073741824.487684971290072&type=1″/]

www.facebook.com/korfball.org

www.twitter.com/korfball

Innovative Fundraising

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This week I was pleasantly surprised by two initiatives in korfball to make use of new crowdfunding opportunities. In crowdfunding, an internet platform (usually a website) is used to raise funding from many people, each contributing in relatively small amounts. It received wide attention for the first time as it was used to raise funding for the first election campaign of Barack Obama to become President of the United States.

The first initiative the I cam across was set up by the Dutch Korfball League club Nic Groningen who is trying to raise funds be able to paythe expenses to have Taiwanese Korfball star Chun Hsien “Ricky” Wu rejoin their first team. Wu played for Nic in the last two seasons, but the club is now in dire need of him joining the club to avoid them being relegated. According to Facebook, the scheme is proceeding well, but still more donations are needed. If successful, I think this would be the very first time that a top athlete in any sport is attracted to a club using crowdfunding.

In a wider initiative, the English Korfball Association has teamed up with EasyFundraising to raise funding for its international youth squads. In the Easy Fundraising model, consumers buy at well known online retailers such as Amazon, who subsequently donate part of the value of their purchases to the cause indicated by the buyer. A different model, but again an interesting one to follow and explore.

Compliments to Nic. and the EKA for these innovative initiatives to raise funding. I hope to see more of this around the world, again clearly showing that korfballers are not only innovative on the pitch, but also when raising their funding.

Jan Fransoo

President, IKF

The IKF Executive Committee

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IKF Executive Committee in 2013 as elected after the General Meeting 27 October 2013 in Lisbon (POR).
From left to right:
Mr Frank Buvens (BEL), Mrs Danielle RUTS (BEL), Dr Jan FRANSOO (president) (NED), Mr Gert DIJKSTRA (NED), Mr Graham CRAFTER (ENG), Mr Frans WALVIS (NED)

The IKF Council

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IKF Council in 2013 as elected after the General Meeting 27 October 2013 in Lisbon (POR).
From left to right:
Mr Tim MILLER (AUS), Mr Milan SCHWARZ (CZE), Mrs Helen SEARLE (AUS), Mr Gert DIJKSTRA (NED), Mr Graham CRAFTER (ENG), MR Inglish HUANG (TPE), Dr Jan FRANSOO (president) (NED), Mr Frans WALVIS (NED), Mr Frank Buvens (BEL), Mrs Danielle RUTS (BEL), Mr Les WILLIAMS (SAF)

Draft rules for Beach Korfball

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At its recent Congress – 25 and 26 October 2013 – held in Lisbon (POR) the IKF announced that it will, in the coming months, be rolling out draft rules for different korfball disciplines.

The first of these sets of rules are the Rules for Beach Korfball. Designed to be played 3 vs 3 at the highest level, or 4 vs 4 at recreation level, the game is expected to be played with a field size of 18 m x 9 m or 20 m x 10 m, no halfway line, two posts set in from the ends like the traditional variant of the game and in four quarters of 2 1/2 minutes . Teams will consist of 3 male and 3 female players and unlimited substitutions will be allowed.

The IKF member countries are being encouraged to try out these new draft rules and feed back their experiences so that a final set of rules can be put in place by the end of 2014.

Under ‘Documents‘ and ‘Playing Rules‘ these Draft Rules for Beach Korfball are published.

Ukraine the 60th Korfball country

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At the 2013 IKF AGM in Lisbon last month – 27 October 2013 – the recently constituted Lviv Regional Korfball Federation was recognised as a new member, making Ukraine officially the 60th korfball country.

Korfball activity in Ukraine started in the city of Lviv last year under the supervision of former Catalan Korfball Federation board member Mr Carles Albà. With assistance from the IKF, through instructors Mr Casper Boom former international of the Netherlands and Russian national coach Mr Sergei Nizovsky, an introductory course for new korfball coaches attracted physical education teachers from a number of different schools.

Following the coaching course Lviv Linguistic Lyceum has become the main centre of korfball activity in Ukraine, with PE teacher Mr Dmitry Golubenko taking the lead. On 20 April he organised Ukraine’s first korfball tournament, attended by more than 60 players.

Lviv Regional Korfball Federation was formed directly after this tournament, taking on the mission to develop Ukrainian korfball.

FISU and IKF to work together on next University World Cup

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The International University Sports Federation FISU and the International Korfball Federation have agreed to work together towards formal inclusion of korfball in the FISU World Championship program from 2018. The final decisions by FISU and IKF will be made after a next edition of the IKF University World Cup will be held under the endorsement of FISU. The endorsement will allow the event to be organized using the FISU logo. Furthermore, the event and the sport of korfball will be widely announced amongst FISU’s 167 national university sports federations.

IKF President Fransoo, who presented korfball today to the members of the FISU Executive Committee meeting in Brussels, marks the FISU decision as the beginning of a closer collaboration between IKF and FISU, to assist FISU in having its first gender-equal sport on the program, and to make national university sports federations around the world aware of the potential of korfball as a university sport.

FISU requested the next UWC be held latest by early 2015, to allow for an evaluation to be conducted by FISU, make a formal decision on korfball’s inclusion in the 2018 FISU World University Championship program, and select a host for the 2018 WUC.

Picture (left to right): Leonz Eder (Chairman, FISU World University Championships Committee), Jan Fransoo (IKF President), Claude-Louis Gallien (FISU President), Eric Saintrond (FISU Secretary General), Paulo Ferreira (Director, FISU World University Championships Department), Rosaura Mendez (Chair, FISU Gender Equality Committee)

IKF U21 European Korfball Championship 2014

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The IKF U21 European Korfball Championship 2014 will be organised by the Czech Korfball Association (CKA). The first organiser of this event, Turkey, did withdrew. The IKF is pleased with the offer of the CKA to welcome 12 European U21 korfball teams.

The event period will be 6 – 12 July 2014. The city and the venue will be selected on short term.

This period is chosen by the Competitions Committee after consultations by IKF Europe with European countries present during the IKF Congress in Lisbon.

The participants in the IKF European Korfball Championship

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In the next IKF European Korfball Championship (IKF EKC) in Maia, Portugal the following 16 countries are qualified for participation.

The first 10 ranked in the last IKF EKC: Belgium, Catalonia, Czech Republic, England, Germany, Hungary, The Netherlands (reigning champion), Poland, Portugal (host) and Russia.

And 6 from the two qualification events; IKF European Bowl Eastern region and Central region; Ireland, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey and Wales.

These are exactly the same 16 nations as participated in IKF EKC 2010.

The Netherlands is the current holder of the IKF European Korfball Championship following the last championship held in The Netherlands in 2010.