In Taiwan, korfball players under the age of 23 compete for the world title. Today the Netherlands will play the semi-final against Belgium. The previous tournaments always closed the Netherlands as the winner. That is not so surprising:korfball is a Dutch sport.
Nico Broekhuysen (1877 – 1958) became the father of korfball by building it out of the clay in 1902. On January 10, 1904, the rules of the game were laid down at the First Annual Meeting of the Dutch Korfball Association.
This sport now bears the label of goodness, but a century ago it was different. Because both sexes played together, the korfball players would be lewd. The clothing was also criticized, because the players played in an airy uniform. It was a scandal:there was a clear view of bare heads, knees and ankles – also among the women! Korfball is a monster that stretches its claws in all directions,' it was therefore a century ago in the newspapers.
And the medics of 1908 didn't like korfball either. Research among 800 physicians showed that only four considered korfball hygienic. The athletes, however, did not care at all; they kept talking.
For example, korfball became a real demonstration sport at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp. On August 6, 1928 there was another Olympic performance, in Amsterdam. After that, the sport was never seen again during the Olympics. The Korfbalbond did receive the royal honorary title in 1938. And that's partly due to the hard work of Broekhuysen, who got a road named after himself in an Amsterdam suburb as a thank you.
1946:Netherlands – Belgium