The Council of the
IHF is entitled and has the duty to suggest to the
IOC eminent personalities for the award of the Olympic Order in recognition of their outstanding merit and success in the development of
handball
Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...
in their own country, their many years of close collaborative links with the IHF and their dedicated service to the
Olympic Movement.
Olympic Order
The
Olympic Order is the highest award of the Olympic Movement and is awarded for particularly distinguished contributions to the Olympic Movement, i.e. recognition of efforts worthy of merit in the cause of sport. It was established in May 1975 by the
International Olympic Committee as a successor to the ''
Olympic Certificate''. The Olympic Order originally had three grades (
gold,
silver and
bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
), although the bronze grade fell dormant in 1984. Traditionally, the
IOC bestows the Olympic Order upon the chief national organiser(s) at the closing ceremony of each respective
Olympic Games.
The insignia of the
Olympic Order is in the form of a collar (or chain), in Gold, Silver or Bronze according to grade; the front of the chain depicts the five rings of the
Olympic Movement, flanked on either side by kotinos emblem (olive wreath). A lapel badge, in the form of the five rings in Gold, Silver and Bronze according to grade, is presented to recipients to wear as appropriate.
Nadia Comăneci is the only athlete to be awarded the
Olympic Order twice (1984, 2004), as well as being its youngest ever recipient.
Recipients of IHF Olympic Order
External links
IHF Statuts Chapter XXI - Regulations of Awards
International Handball Federation awards
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