Franz Reindl has been elected the 15th president of the IIHF. He is the first German to hold the position since Dr. Gunther Sabetzki (1975-94).
The voting required two rounds. The first round of voting saw Petr Briza with 48 votes (41.03 per cent), Reindl with 36 (30.77 per cent), and Aivaz Omorkanov with 33 (28.21 per cent). Since no candidate received more than 50 per cent, Omorkanov's name was removed from the ballot and a second round conducted.
In the second round, Reindl recieved 60 votes (51.28 per cent) and Briza 57 (48.72 per cent).
"Thank you for the trust you have placed in me," Reindl said in his first speech as President. "I accept this responsibility with humility and gratitude...The election, to form a Council reminds me, as a former player, of playing in the national league playoffs. You battle hard and work hard, and when the season is over, the best players come together to play on the national team. They develop into one unit. That moment is now...Together, we will work for the interests of all member national associations, large and small, and first, above everything else, for the IIHF.
Born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on November 24, 1954, Reindl truly has done it all in hockey. He started a pro career in the German national league in 1972 and was a member of Germany’s sensational 1976 Olympic team that defied all odds and won a bronze medal. It was his first of three Olympic appearances to go along with eight World Championships and the 1981 Canada Cup.
After retiring as a player in 1988, he turned to coaching in the German league. He later became the general manager of the national team from 1992 to 2014. Domestically, Reindl was the founding CEO of the DEL, from 1994-96, helping to establish the league as one of the most successful in Europe.
Reindl also organized three World Championships in Germany--2001, 2010, and 2017. The 2010 edition is particularly famous for the first game of the tournament, which was played at Veltins Arena, a football stadium in Gelsenkirchen, and set an IIHF attendance record of 77,803.
In 2014, Reindl was named president of the German Ice Hockey Federation, a position he held for eight years. Overlapping this duty, he was an IIHF Council member from 2016 to the present day, serving as Chairperson of several committees during the last decade.
The term for the new President and Council will run from October 2026 to October 2030.
For the names of the other elected Council members, click HERE.
The 2026 IIHF Semi-Annual Congress: All Council voting results
In all, there were nine candidates seeking the position of IIHF President. In alphabetical order, they included Henrik Bach Nielsen (DEN), Petr Briza (CZE), Sergey Goncharov (BLR), Frank Gonzalez (ESP), Zakaria Khechuashvili (GEO), Jaan Molder (EST), Aivaz Omorkanov (KGZ), Matjaz Rakovec (SLO), and Franz Reindl (GER).
Bach Nielsen and Goncharov withdrew their nomination prior to the voting, and Gonzalez, Molder, and Khechuashvili withdrew after their speeches. Rakovec withdrew on the morning of voting day prior to the vote.
The president also becomes the first member of the IIHF’s new Council. This body will consist of 15 members, at least three of whom must be women and equally at least three must be men. The formation of the Council includes the President, Senior Vice-President, three Regional Vice-Presidents, and ten Council Members.
President - Round 1
Petr Briza 48 (41.03 per cent)
Franz Reindl 36 (30.77 per cent)
Aivaz Omorkanov 33 (28.21 per cent)
President - Round 2
Franz Reindl 60 (51.28 per cent)
Petr Briza 57 (48.72 per cent)
​Further details to follow.
The voting required two rounds. The first round of voting saw Petr Briza with 48 votes (41.03 per cent), Reindl with 36 (30.77 per cent), and Aivaz Omorkanov with 33 (28.21 per cent). Since no candidate received more than 50 per cent, Omorkanov's name was removed from the ballot and a second round conducted.
In the second round, Reindl recieved 60 votes (51.28 per cent) and Briza 57 (48.72 per cent).
"Thank you for the trust you have placed in me," Reindl said in his first speech as President. "I accept this responsibility with humility and gratitude...The election, to form a Council reminds me, as a former player, of playing in the national league playoffs. You battle hard and work hard, and when the season is over, the best players come together to play on the national team. They develop into one unit. That moment is now...Together, we will work for the interests of all member national associations, large and small, and first, above everything else, for the IIHF.
Born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on November 24, 1954, Reindl truly has done it all in hockey. He started a pro career in the German national league in 1972 and was a member of Germany’s sensational 1976 Olympic team that defied all odds and won a bronze medal. It was his first of three Olympic appearances to go along with eight World Championships and the 1981 Canada Cup.
After retiring as a player in 1988, he turned to coaching in the German league. He later became the general manager of the national team from 1992 to 2014. Domestically, Reindl was the founding CEO of the DEL, from 1994-96, helping to establish the league as one of the most successful in Europe.
Reindl also organized three World Championships in Germany--2001, 2010, and 2017. The 2010 edition is particularly famous for the first game of the tournament, which was played at Veltins Arena, a football stadium in Gelsenkirchen, and set an IIHF attendance record of 77,803.
In 2014, Reindl was named president of the German Ice Hockey Federation, a position he held for eight years. Overlapping this duty, he was an IIHF Council member from 2016 to the present day, serving as Chairperson of several committees during the last decade.
The term for the new President and Council will run from October 2026 to October 2030.
For the names of the other elected Council members, click HERE.
The 2026 IIHF Semi-Annual Congress: All Council voting results
In all, there were nine candidates seeking the position of IIHF President. In alphabetical order, they included Henrik Bach Nielsen (DEN), Petr Briza (CZE), Sergey Goncharov (BLR), Frank Gonzalez (ESP), Zakaria Khechuashvili (GEO), Jaan Molder (EST), Aivaz Omorkanov (KGZ), Matjaz Rakovec (SLO), and Franz Reindl (GER).
Bach Nielsen and Goncharov withdrew their nomination prior to the voting, and Gonzalez, Molder, and Khechuashvili withdrew after their speeches. Rakovec withdrew on the morning of voting day prior to the vote.
The president also becomes the first member of the IIHF’s new Council. This body will consist of 15 members, at least three of whom must be women and equally at least three must be men. The formation of the Council includes the President, Senior Vice-President, three Regional Vice-Presidents, and ten Council Members.
President - Round 1
Petr Briza 48 (41.03 per cent)
Franz Reindl 36 (30.77 per cent)
Aivaz Omorkanov 33 (28.21 per cent)
President - Round 2
Franz Reindl 60 (51.28 per cent)
Petr Briza 57 (48.72 per cent)
​Further details to follow.