Swiss ice hockey administrator
Rene Fasel
(born 6 February 1950) is a Swiss-Russian retired ice hockey administrator. He served as president of the
International Ice Hockey Federation
(IIHF) from 1994 to 2021. He started his ice hockey career as a player for
HC Fribourg-Gotteron
, in 1960, and became a referee in 1972. He became president of the
Swiss Ice Hockey Federation
in 1985, then was elected president of the
International Ice Hockey Federation
in 1994. He also became an
International Olympic Committee
member and was elected to its executive board. Fasel was inducted into the
IIHF Hall of Fame
in 2021.
Early career
[
edit
]
Born in
Fribourg
,
Switzerland
, Fasel started his playing career with the
Swiss league
team
HC Fribourg-Gotteron
in 1960.
[1]
He remained with the team until 1972 and retired to become a referee. He remained a referee until 1982 and officiated 37 international matches.
[2]
In 1982 he became the Chairman of the Swiss Ice Hockey League referees' commission.
[1]
In 1985, he became president of the
Schweizerischer Eishockeyverband
, Switzerland's governing body for ice hockey. He was elected to the IIHF council the following year and served as head of the Referee and the Marketing Committees.
[2]
IIHF president
[
edit
]
In June 1994, he was elected the President of the IIHF, succeeding
Gunther Sabetzki
. He has served four consecutive terms as President. His most recent started at the IIHF congress in May 2008 when he was unopposed in his re-election attempt.
[3]
As IIHF president, Fasel has tried to forge a stronger relationship between the IIHF and the
National Hockey League
(NHL), the major professional ice hockey league of
North America
. In March 1995, he helped negotiate an agreement so that NHL players could compete at the
1998 Winter Olympics
in
Nagano
, Japan.
[4]
He has also vowed to "work day and night" to help negotiate an agreement that will see NHL players participate in the
2014 Winter Olympics
.
[5]
He is against
fighting in ice hockey
, describing it as "Neanderthal behavior".
[6]
In 1992 he became a member of the Swiss Olympic Association. In 1995 he became a
member of the
International Olympic Committee
. He was the first ever representative of ice hockey.
[2]
As an IOC member, he has held several positions, including Chairman of the
Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations
(AIOWF) and Chairman of the Coordination Commission for the
2010 Winter Olympics
.
[1]
In May 2008, Fasel was nominated to replace
Ottavio Cinquanta
as the winter sports representative on the IOC's executive board.
[7]
He was named to the board on 7 August at the 120th
IOC Session
held before the
2008 Summer Olympics
and served an eight-year term until 2016 when he was replaced by
Gian-Franco Kasper
.
[8]
Fasel spoke at the
World Hockey Summit
in 2010, and discussed the
National Hockey League
(NHL) presence in Europe and in
ice hockey at the Olympic Games
, and was defensive of European hockey.
[9]
He was against NHL expansion plans into Europe, and envisioned a European professional league, where the champion would play the
Stanley Cup
winner for a world title.
[10]
He sought to keep NHL participation at the Winter Olympics due to its profitability and exposure for international hockey.
[9]
Fasel was awarded the
Order of Friendship
by Russian president
Dmitry Medvedev
in 2011.
[11]
In January 2021, Fasel was criticized for meeting with
Alexander Lukashenko
regarding the
2021 Men's Ice Hockey World Championships
during the
2020?2021 Belarusian protests
.
[12]
Fasel replied that the meeting was solely to discuss the World Championships, and that they had known each other from playing ice hockey together.
[13]
Fasel stepped down as IIHF president on 25 September 2021, and was inducted into the
IIHF Hall of Fame
on the same day.
[14]
[15]
He was succeeded as IIHF president by
French Ice Hockey Federation
president,
Luc Tardif
.
[16]
[17]
Later career
[
edit
]
In March 2022, Fasel denied a report that he signed a contract to be an advisor to the
Kontinental Hockey League
(KHL). He instead stated that he has given advice to the league when he has been asked.
[18]
When the IIHF suspended the Russian and Belarusian hockey federations until further notice due to the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
, Fasel was quoted in Russian media as saying it was a "sad moment in IIHF history", and that "Even in such a tense situation as today, sport must carry the message of peace and united people".
[19]
The
Associated Press
reported that Fasel had been publicly friendly with
Vladimir Putin
, and that the Russian Hockey Federation instructed the KHL to distribute material supporting the invasion. The IIHF subsequently called for an independent ethics investigation into the actions of Fasel and the Russian Hockey Federation, and stated that former IIHF presidents were bound to a moral code of conduct.
[19]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Fasel is married and has four children. He attended the
University of Fribourg
and
University of Bern
and became a
Doctor of Dental Surgery
in 1977.
[1]
In 1997, the IOC commissioned him to conduct a study of dental treatment of Olympic athletes.
[2]
The report, "Sports Dentistry and the Olympic Games", was published in 2005.
[20]
On 26 July 2012 Fasel was part of the
2012 Summer Olympics torch relay
in
London
.
[21]
Fasel acquired Russian citizenship in 2023, and purchased a 54 per cent stake in Alma Holding, which produces apples.
[22]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
"Mr Rene Fasel"
. International Olympic Committee
. Retrieved
9 April
2009
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"IIHF Council"
. International Ice Hockey Federation
. Retrieved
9 April
2009
.
- ^
"Fasel unopposed for re-election as IIHF President"
.
The Sports Network
. 30 April 2009
. Retrieved
9 April
2009
.
- ^
Lapointe, Joe (16 September 1997).
"The N.H.L.'s Olympic Gamble; Stars' Participation in Nagano Could Raise Sport's Profile"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
17 February
2009
.
- ^
"Bettman and Fasel face off"
. CTV Olympics. 27 March 2009
. Retrieved
6 April
2009
.
- ^
Bass, Alan (19 January 2009).
"Beyond the Bleachers with IIHF President Rene Fasel"
. Bleacher Report
. Retrieved
9 April
2009
.
- ^
"Fasel set to join the IOC executive"
. International Ice Hockey Federation. 6 May 2008. Archived from
the original
on 4 June 2011
. Retrieved
9 April
2009
.
- ^
"Moroccan woman set to join IOC rule making body"
.
ESPN
. Associated Press. 7 August 2008
. Retrieved
9 April
2009
.
- ^
a
b
Burnside, Scott (24 August 2010).
"Euro expansion? 'Hell' no, Rene Fasel says"
.
ESPN
. Retrieved
20 May
2020
.
- ^
Duhatschek, Eric
(24 August 2010).
"Fasel warns NHL over European expansion"
.
The Globe and Mail
. Retrieved
20 May
2020
.
- ^
"Дмитрий Медведев вручил Рене Фазелю орден Дружбы"
.
- ^
'Hello, My Dear': Lukashenka's Warm Hug For International Ice Hockey Chief Leaves Belarusian Opposition, Activists Steaming Mad
-
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
, 12 January 2021
- ^
"
"I Played With Fire And Got Burned." Rene Fasel About His Meeting With Lukashenko"
.
Belarusfeed
. 13 January 2021
. Retrieved
14 January
2021
.
- ^
"Rene Fasel to be inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame"
.
Swiss Hockey News
. 22 September 2021
. Retrieved
22 November
2021
.
- ^
Podnieks, Andrew
(21 September 2021).
"Rene Fasel to join IIHF Hall of Fame"
.
International Ice Hockey Federation
. Retrieved
14 June
2023
.
- ^
"Luc Tardif: "Diplomacy is needed"
"
.
Francs Jeux
(in French). 27 September 2021
. Retrieved
5 October
2021
.
- ^
"Luc Tardif elu president de la Federation internationale de hockey sur glace"
.
L'Equipe
(in French). 25 September 2021
. Retrieved
5 October
2021
.
- ^
Zaugg, Klaus (17 March 2022).
"Rene Fasel dementiert: Kein Vertrag mit der KHL"
.
Watson
(in German). Switzerland
. Retrieved
25 March
2022
.
- ^
a
b
Whyno, Stephen (24 March 2022).
"IIHF calls for ethics probe of Russian federation, Fasel"
.
Associated Press
. Retrieved
24 March
2022
.
- ^
Fasel, Rene; Piccininni, Paul M. (June 2005).
"Sports Dentistry and the Olympic Games"
(PDF)
.
CDA Journal
.
33
(6).
Canadian Dental Association
: 471?483.
PMID
16060340
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 25 December 2010.
- ^
"Pictures: London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay - Day 69 | Torchbearer 156 Rene Fasel carries the Olympic Torch along Oxford Street, London, on Day 69 of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay"
. Archived from
the original
on 31 July 2012
. Retrieved
1 August
2012
.
- ^
Lloyd, Owen (15 February 2023).
"Former IIHF President Fasel acquires Russian citizenship"
.
Inside the Games
. Retrieved
16 February
2023
.
Preceded by
|
President of the
IIHF
1994?2021
|
Succeeded by
|