IHF Rules of the Game:

Regulations on Protective Equipment and Accessories

1. Head/face protection
Items Examples Decision Limitations Comments

Masks are not

Masks Not permitted allowed.

Helmets are not

Helmets Not permitted allowed.

Only soft, single-

Nose coloured materials
Permitted and tapes are
protection
allowed.

2. Headbands
Examples Decision Limitations Comments

Only headbands
which are elastic, thin
Permitted and narrow are
allowed.

Headbands which are

not elastic, not thin
Not permitted enough and/or too
wide are not allowed.

INTERNATIONAL HANDBALL FEDERATION

Status July 2017
 IHF Rules of the Game:
Regulations on Protective Equipment and Accessories
3. Glasses and goggles
Examples Decision Comments

Sport glasses and goggles with

special sports headbands, solid
Permitted plastic lenses, and temples made
of silicon or other elastic
materials are allowed.

Sport glasses and goggles with

Not permitted rigid temples are not allowed.

4. Tooth protection
Examples Decision Comments

Transparent and single-coloured mouth guards

Permitted are allowed.

Non-transparent and multi-coloured mouth guards

Not permitted are not allowed.

INTERNATIONAL HANDBALL FEDERATION

Status July 2017
 IHF Rules of the Game:
Regulations on Protective Equipment and Accessories
5. Shoulder protection and compression sleeves
Items Examples Decision Limitations

Shoulder guards made of

Shoulder soft and thin materials
Permitted are allowed and may be
braces
any colour.

Compression sleeves in
the same and/or a
Compression
Permitted similar colour as the
sleeves dominant colour of the
shirt are allowed.

INTERNATIONAL HANDBALL FEDERATION

Status July 2017
 IHF Rules of the Game:
Regulations on Protective Equipment and Accessories
6. Elbow protection
Items Examples Decision Limitations Comments

Well-padded elbow
pads made of soft and
Elbow pads Permitted thin materials are
allowed and may be
any colour.

Elbow supports with

three pads and
Elbow protective foam are
supports allowed. The pads must
(three pads
Permitted have an embossed
and
structure for better
protective
movement and allow
foam)
the elbow to slide on
the floor.
Neoprene elbow
supports with a single
Neoprene large pad and
elbow protective foam are
supports allowed. The pad must
(single pad Permitted have an embossed
and structure for better
protective movement and allow
foam) the elbow to slide on
the floor.
Elbow protectors are
allowed if all hard
components are fully Elbow protectors made
Elbow covered with of soft and thin
Permitted
protectors protective foam materials are allowed
bandages or similar and may be any colour.
products (no danger to
opponents).

Elbow protectors with

Elbow Not any uncovered hard
protection permitted components are not
allowed.

INTERNATIONAL HANDBALL FEDERATION

Status July 2017
 IHF Rules of the Game:
Regulations on Protective Equipment and Accessories
7. Knee protection
Items Decision Limitations Comments
Examples

Knee protectors
Knee protectors are only allowed if
made of soft
all hard components are fully
and thin
covered with protective foam
Knee protectors Permitted bandages or similar products (no
materials are
allowed and
danger to opponents).
may be any
colour.

Knee protectors
with a single
Knee protectors large pad and
(single pad and Permitted protective foam
protective foam) are allowed and
may be any
colour.

Neoprene knee
supports with a
single large pad
and protective
foam are
Neoprene knee allowed. The
supports
Permitted pad must have
(single pad and
an embossed
protective foam)
structure for
better movement
and allow the
player to slide
on the floor.

Knee protectors
with any
Not
Knee protection uncovered hard
permitted components are
not allowed.

INTERNATIONAL HANDBALL FEDERATION

Status July 2017
 IHF Rules of the Game:
Regulations on Protective Equipment and Accessories
8. Compression calf supports
Examples Decision Comments

Compression calf supports in the same colour as

Permitted the socks are allowed.

Compression calf supports which do not match

Not permitted the colour of the socks are not allowed.

INTERNATIONAL HANDBALL FEDERATION

Status July 2017
 IHF Rules of the Game:
Regulations on Protective Equipment and Accessories
9. Ankle joint protection
Items Examples Decision Limitations Comments
Ankle joint
protectors or hard
stabilisers are
allowed if all hard
components are
Ankle joint fully covered with
protectors protective foam
Permitted
or hard
bandages or similar
stabilisers
products (no danger
to opponents). The
protectors and tape
must be the same
colour as the socks.

Ankle braces with

straps are allowed if
Ankle there are no hard
braces with Permitted components. The
straps protectors and tape
must be the same
colour as the socks.

Ankle joint
protectors or hard
stabilisers are not
Ankle joint allowed if there are
Not any uncovered
protectors
or hard permitted hard components
stabilisers and the protectors
and tape do not
match the colour
of the socks.

INTERNATIONAL HANDBALL FEDERATION

Status July 2017
 IHF Rules of the Game:
Regulations on Protective Equipment and Accessories
10. Clothes
Summary:

 Long leg wear is not allowed (with the exception of the goalkeeper).
 Four pieces (undershorts + knee protector + compression calf supports + socks) are allowed. These must
be four separate pieces.
 Compression and long sleeves must match the dominant colour of the shirt.
 Undershorts must match the dominant colour of the shorts.
 Compression calf supports must match the colour of the socks.
 Ankle protectors must match the colour of the socks.
 Elbow and knee protectors may be of any colour(s).

Items Examples Decision Comments

Single-coloured sport head scarves are allowed.

Sport head If several players of a team use head scarves, they
scarves
Permitted
must be the same colour.

Non-sport
head Not permitted Non-sport head scarves are not allowed.
scarves

INTERNATIONAL HANDBALL FEDERATION

Status July 2017
 IHF Rules of the Game:
Regulations on Protective Equipment and Accessories
10. Clothes
Items Examples Decision Comments

Long-sleeved undershirts in the

Long- Permitted same colour as the dominant
sleeved
colour of the shirt are allowed.
undershirts

Long-sleeved undershirts which

do not match the dominant
Not Permitted
colour of the shirt are not
allowed.

Short Short undershorts or warm pants

undershorts in the same colour as the
Permitted
or warm dominant colour of the shorts
pants are allowed.

Short undershorts or warm pants

which do not match the
Not permitted
dominant colour of the shorts
are not allowed.

The goalkeeper is allowed to

Long leg wear long pants, tights,
Permitted
wear undershorts and/or long
compression pants/tights.

INTERNATIONAL HANDBALL FEDERATION

Status July 2017
 IHF Rules of the Game:
Regulations on Protective Equipment and Accessories
10. Clothes
Items Examples Decision Comments

Field players are not allowed

to wear any long shorts, tights,
Not permitted
pants, undershorts and/or long
compression pants/tights.

Socks must be the same colour

Socks Permitted
and length.

Shirts for court players acting as

goalkeeper must be identical to
the goalkeeper shirt, i.e. holes
Shirts Permitted
for front and back numbers,
covered with transparent
material (no holes allowed).

INTERNATIONAL HANDBALL FEDERATION

Status July 2017
 IHF Rules of the Game:
Regulations on Protective Equipment and Accessories
11. Accessories
Items Examples Decision Limitations Comments

Small earrings and

Earrings piercings are allowed
and Permitted if they are fully covered
piercings
with tape.

Earrings and
piercings which are
Not permitted not fully covered
with tape are not
allowed.

Hairpins made of soft

materials are allowed.
Metal and/or plastic
Hairpins Permitted hairpins must be removed
or fully covered with
tape.

Only single-coloured
Captain’s captain’s armbands are
armbands
Permitted
allowed.

Short wristbands are Wristbands must

Short allowed if they are non-
Permitted match the dominant
wristbands colour of the shirt.
adhesive, soft and thin.

Long wristbands are Wristbands must

Long allowed if they are non-
wristbands
Permitted match the dominant
adhesive, soft and thin. colour of the shirt.

INTERNATIONAL HANDBALL FEDERATION

Status July 2017
 IHF Rules of the Game:
Regulations on Protective Equipment and Accessories
11. Accessories
Items Examples Decision Limitations Comments
Wrist protectors are
only allowed if all
hard components
Wrist are fully covered.
Permitted Wrist protectors
protectors
must match the
dominant colour of
the shirt.

Gloves are not

allowed. This also
Gloves Not permitted applies to the
goalkeeper.

Finger Finger bands are

bands
Not permitted not allowed.

Glue may only be

kept on the shoes
Glue Permitted and applied to the
fingers.

INTERNATIONAL HANDBALL FEDERATION

Status July 2017