DEB-President Franz Reindl is aiming to run for president of the IIHF World Ice Hockey Federation. The 66-year-old announced his decision on the sidelines of the final weekend of the 2021 IIHF World Championships in Riga at the world association's regular congress. The three-time Olympic participant and bronze medalist from Innsbruck 1976 was proposed as a candidate by his national association, the Deutscher Eishockey-Bund, on Saturday, as provided for in the IIHF election regulations.
Franz Reindl has been active in ice hockey for almost five decades, first as a player for over 20 years, then as a coach and since 1986 in various top administrative positions. In addition to his positions as DEB-President and member of the IIHF Council, he has held other leadership roles - including head of organization of the IIHF World Championships in Germany in 2001, 2010 and 2017. Reindl has also been a patron of various IIHF events in the past and currently heads the IIHF Competition and Coordination Committee.
Only when the World Ice Hockey Federation IIHF officially confirms the application at the end of the month will Reindl, who lives in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, actually be considered a candidate for the office of IIHF President. In the weeks before the presidential election at the IIHF Semi-Annual Congress in St. Petersburg, Russia in September 2021, Reindl would then present his program and his visions for the sport of ice hockey.
DEB-President Franz Reindl: “I have dedicated my entire life to ice hockey – first as an athlete and Olympian, and more recently as president of the DEB and IIHF Council member. The ice hockey world shaped me and made me the person I am today. It is a great honor for me to now declare my candidacy for IIHF President. I would like to thank the Deutscher Eishockey-Bund for supporting my candidacy.”
About Franz Reindl:
Date of birth:24. November 1954
Place of birth: Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
Marital status: Married, two daughters, one son, four grandchildren
Athletic career
As a player
- Overall stats: 861 games, 955 points (481 goals/474 assists)
- Bronze medal, Innsbruck 1976 Winter Olympics
- 3 Olympic participants: Innsbruck 1976, Lake Placid 1980, Sarajevo 1984
- Participation in nine IIHF World Championships
- Three-time German ice hockey champion: 1978, 1981, 1985
- participant in the Canada Cup 1981
- Top scorer in the 1st Bundesliga in 1982
- End of his career as a player in 1988
As a coach
- Head coach of the German national team at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey
- Assistant coach of the national team at three IIHF World Championships and two Winter Olympics
- Head coach of SC Riessersee in the second German league (1988-1991)
Highlights in administrative positions
- President of the Deutscher Eishockey-Bund (since 2014)
- Participated in 15 Ice Hockey World Championships and four Olympic Games
- IIHF Council member (since 2016)
- IIHF Chairman Competition & Coordination Committee (2016-2021)
- IIHF Chairman at various IIHF events (since 2016)
- Head of organization of the IIHF World Championships in Germany (2001, 2010 and 2017)
- First CEO of the independent German Ice Hockey League DEL (1994-1996)
- Sports director and general secretary of the German national team (2003-2011)
- General manager of the German national team at the World Cup of Hockey (1996)
- President of Team Europe at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey
You can find the english release here: https://www.deb-online.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Press_Release_DEB_Reindl_IIHF_Candidacy_Announcement.pdf