The Asian Handball Federation (AHF) (Template:Lang-ar) is the governing body of handball and beach handball in Asia. It has 44 member countries, mostly located on the Asian continent, but excludes the transcontinental countries with territory in both Europe and Asia – Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russian Federation and Turkey – which are instead members of European Handball Federation (EHF). Three other states located along the western fringe of Asia – Cyprus, Armenia and Israel – are also EHF members. Hong Kong China and Macau, although not independent countries (both are Special regions of China), are also members of the AHF.
.png) Flag of the Asian Handball Federation | |
| Abbreviation | AHF |
|---|---|
| Formation | 26 August 1974 |
| Founded at | Tehran, Imperial State of Iran  |
| Type | Continental Sports Federation |
| Purpose | Development of Handball & Beach Handball in Asia |
| Headquarters | Kuwait City, Kuwait  |
Membership | 44 Members |
Official language | English & Arabic |
President | Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah |
1st Vice-President | Yoshihide Watanabe  |
Secretary General | Muhammad Shafiq  |
| Affiliations | International Handball Federation, Olympic Council of Asia |
| Website | www |
One of IHF's six continental confederations, the AHF was formed officially on 26 August 1974 in Tehran (Imperial State of Iran), on the sidelines of the 7th Asian Games 1974. The AHF headquarters is located in Kuwait City (Kuwait). Its current President is Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah from Kuwait who is a member of House of Sabah, the ruling family of Kuwait.
History
The Asian Handball Federation (AHF) is in one way absolutely unique: during its history till date it had two Presidents - and they were father and son.
When in 1976 the federation was officially founded and Sheikh Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was elected for President, the committed Sheikh had already put a lot of efforts and preparation work into it. In 1974, during the 7th Asian Games in Tehran (Iran), he applied as head of the Kuwaiti delegation at the executive committee for the inclusion of Handball into the sports programme and the foundation of a continental handball federation. The explanation was easy and convincing: meanwhile handball was widely spread in Asia. The leaders of the Asian Game accepted handball as an official sport and asked the Sheikh to act as interim president and to prepare the statutes of the federation. In this task he was supported by the Secretary General Syad Abul Hassan (Pakistan).
Disputes
As of February 5, 2008, the AHF imposed a warning and $1,000 fine each to Japan and South Korea, due to the disputes surrounding the rematch of the qualifiers for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing after AHF's controversial decision to replace referees during the original qualifying tournaments which took place in September 2007.
AHF Presidents
| S. No. | Name | Country | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | H. E. Sheikh Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah | Kuwait |
26 August 1974 — 2 August 1990 |
| 2. | H. E. Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah | Kuwait |
2 August 1990 — Till Date |
AHF Secretary Generals
| S. No. | Name | Country | Tenure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Syad Abul Hassan | Islamic Republic of Pakistan |
26 August 1974 — 2000 |
| 2. | Dr. Roshan Anand |  India |
2000 — 25 October 2013 |
| 3. | Muhammad Shafiq | Islamic Republic of Pakistan |
25 October 2013 — Till Date |
AHF Executive Committee
Following is the AHF Executive Committee for 2017 – 2021.
| Designation | Name | Country |
|---|---|---|
| President | Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah | Kuwait
|
| 1st Vice-President | Yoshihide Watanabe | Japan
|
| Secretary General | Muhammad Shafiq | Pakistan
|
| Treasurer | Bader Mohammad Al-Theyab | Kuwait
|
| Vice-President | Ahmed Mohamed Abdulrab Al-Shaabi |  Qatar
|
| Executive Director | Dr. Ahmad Abu Al-Lail Al-Failakawi | Kuwait
|
AHF Council
Following is the Asian Handball Federation Council for 2017 – 2021.
| Designation | Name | Country |
|---|---|---|
| President | Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah | Kuwait
|
| 1st Vice-President | Yoshihide Watanabe | Japan
|
| Vice-Presidents | Alireza Rahimi |  Iran
|
| Ahmed Mohamed Abdulrab Al-Shaabi | Qatar
| |
| Abdullah Ashour |  Lebanon
| |
| Ali Mohamed Isa Eshaqi |  Bahrain
| |
| Secretary General | Muhammad Shafiq | Pakistan
|
| Treasurer | Bader Mohammad Al-Theyab | Kuwait
|
| Council Members | Ameen Al-Barwani |  Oman
|
| Sombat Kuruphan |  Thailand
| |
| Mohammed Abdul Kareem Julfar |  United Arab Emirates
| |
| Choi Jung-suck |  South Korea
| |
| Amarta Imron |  Indonesia
| |
| Female Council Member | Gulnara Turlykhanova |  Kazakhstan
|
| Chairman of COC | Abdul Karim Al-Raee |  Syria
|
| Chairman of PRC | Saleh bin Ashour | United Arab Emirates
|
| Chairman of CCM | Prof. Dr. Chung Hyung-kyun | South Korea
|
| Chairman of CPP | Dr. Sari Hamdan Ghanima |  Jordan
|
| Chairman of MC | Dr. Shizou Sakamoto | Japan
|
| Chairman of MKC | Mohammad Jaber Al-Mulla | Qatar
|
| Chairman of UDC | Ismoiljon Matkhalikov |  Uzbekistan
|
| Chairman of CYSH | Salam Awad Dwaich |  Iraq
|
AHF Commissions
| Commission | Chairman | Country |
|---|---|---|
| AHF Commission of Organising and Competition (COC) | Abdul Karim Al-Raee | Syria
|
| AHF Playing Rules and Referees Commission (PRC) | Saleh bin Ashour | United Arab Emirates
|
| AHF Commission of Coaching and Methods (CCM) | Prof. Dr. Chung Hyung Kyun | South Korea
|
| AHF Medical Commission (MC) | Dr. Shizou Sakamoto | Japan
|
| AHF Promotion and Public Relations Commission (CPP) | Dr. Sari Hamdan Ghanima | Jordan
|
| AHF Marketing Commission (MKC) | Mohammad Jaber Al-Mulla | Qatar
|
| AHF Under Development Countries Commission (UDC) | Ismoiljon Matkhalikov | Uzbekistan
|
| AHF Commission of Youth and School Handball (CYSH) | Salam Awad Dwaich | Iraq
|
Tournaments
AHF
- Asian Men's Handball Championship
- Asian Women's Handball Championship
- Asian Men's Junior Handball Championship
- Asian Women's Junior Handball Championship
- Asian Men's Youth Handball Championship
- Asian Women's Youth Handball Championship
- Asian Games
- Asian Youth Games
Club
Beach
AHF zones
South Asia
West Asia
East Asia
Future Events
Current Champions
| Category | Men's | Women's |
|---|---|---|
| Senior Handball Championship | Qatar (2018) (3)
|
South Korea (2017) (13*)
|
| Asian Games | Qatar (2014) (1)
|
South Korea (2014) (6*)
|
| Junior Handball Championship | South Korea (2018) (3)
|
South Korea (2017) (14*)
|
| Asian Youth Games | Qatar (2013) (1*)
|
South Korea (2013) (1*)
|
| Youth Handball Championship | Bahrain (2016) (1)
|
South Korea (2017) (7*)
|
| Beach Handball Championship | Qatar (2017) (4*)
|
Thailand (2017) (3*)
|
| Asian Beach Games | Qatar (2016) (3*)
|
 Vietnam (2016) (1)
|
| Youth Beach Handball Championship | Thailand (2016) (1*)
|
 China (2016) (1*)
|
| Club Handball Championship | Al-Najma Club (2017) (1)
|
AGMK Club (2017) (1)
|
(Titles) (*) Record titles
AHF Members
First Level Members
- International Handball Federation suspended the Kuwait Handball Association since 11 September 2015 due to not organizing an electoral General Assembly to elect the Board of Directors.
