1st-year student NAKAHARA Yume will compete as a member of the Japanese national team at the IKF U21 World Korfball Championship 2026, which will be held in Nirai, Malaysia, starting Saturday, August 8.
NAKAHARA began playing korfball while attending high school in New Zealand, where she joined a local club team and trained diligently. In 2025, she was selected for the Japanese national team for the first time to compete in the IKF U21 Asia-Oceania Korfball Championship and also played in New Zealand’s Premier League.
In addition to her competitive career, she is actively involved in promoting korfball and organizing tournaments, and she says she is working hard toward her goal of seeing korfball become an Olympic sport in the future.
Looking ahead to this World Championship, she commented, “This will be my second World Championship. Since the Japan U21 national team has never won a match at the World Championship, I’m determined to secure the team’s first victory at this tournament. Furthermore, there are many teammates and friends on the New Zealand national team whom I’ve played with before. I’m looking forward to reuniting with them at the World Championship and competing against each other as we’ve both grown as players.”
【About】
IKF U21 WORLD KORFBALL CHAMPIONSHIP 2026
・Host Country： Malaysia
・Date： August 8-16, 2026
・Venue：N9 Arena, Nilai
・Stream：ikfchannel – YouTube
【Match Schedule】
・August 8（Saturday）8:15 (9:15 JST) ~ Opening Ceremony
・August 8（Saturday）15:20 (16:20 JST) ~ vs Catalonia
・August 9（Sunday）15:20 (16:20 JST) ~ vs China
・August 10（Monday）16:55 (17:55 JST) ~ vs Belgium
| About Korfball “A major feature of Korfball is that it is played by mixed-gender teams (four men and four women per team, for a total of eight players). While it is similar to basketball, dribbling is prohibited, so the game revolves around passing. A standard game consists of two 30-minute halves with a 10-minute halftime break in between. However, this may vary depending on the tournament. Since shots can be taken from anywhere around the goal—360 degrees—effective use of space is key. Since dribbling is prohibited, players must keep their heads up to look for passing options, making it an excellent tool for developing “spatial awareness.“ References: JAPAN KORFBALL ASSOCIATION |
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