IKF President Jan Fransoo praised the development of korfball in Chinese Taipei ©IKF

International Korfball Federation (IKF) President Jan Fransoo has paid tribute to the progress the sport has made in Chinese Taipei on a trip to the country.

Fransoo was joined by IKF Asia President Ying-Che Huang and Chinese Taipei Korfball Association (CTKA) secretary general Chien-Ting Chen on his visit.

He commended Chinese Taipei’s deputy sports minister on the work the country have done to boost korfball.

It has been reflected in the country rising to second place on the IKF world rankings earlier this month, with only world champions The Netherlands now ahead of them.

Their rise came after Chinese Taipei won the silver medal at the IKF Under-23 World Korfball Championship, losing 24-16 to the Dutch team in the gold medal match.

They replaced Belgium in second place, with the European nation dropping to fourth position, behind England, in the latest rankings.

Fransoo offered praise to the present and previous leadership of the CTKA for their continued support of IKF Asia.

Chinese Taipei are now ranked second in the world after ending as runners-up in the Under-23 World Championships ©IKF
Chinese Taipei are now ranked second in the world after ending as runners-up in the Under-23 World Championships ©IKF

The IKF President also held discussions with officials on the possibility of Chinese Taipei staging competitions in the future.

The Chinese Taipei University Sports Federation also met with the IKF delegation during their visit, with discussions held over their proposed participation in the inaugural International University Sport Federation (FISU) World University Korfball Championship in Portugal.

The first edition of the event is scheduled to take place in 2018, with the second earmarked for 2020.