A Three-Vote Margin in Tenerife
Franz Reindl has been elected president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, clinching the top post in a tense runoff on the Spanish island of Tenerife. The 71-year-old German official secured 60 votes to defeat former Czech goaltender Petr Briza, who finished with 57.
The Mechanics of the Ballot
The path to the presidency required two rounds of voting. In the initial field of nine candidates, Briza held an early lead with 48 votes, trailed by Reindl with 36 and Kyrgyzstan’s Aiwas Omorkanow with 33. Reindl’s runoff victory accounted for 51.28 percent of the total support. He now succeeds Luc Tardif, who defeated Reindl in the election five years ago, and becomes the second German to lead the governing body following Günther Sabetzki’s tenure from 1975 to 1994.
A Career Rooted in the Rink
Reindl, a Garmisch-Partenkirchen native, brings a long history to the office. His resume includes a bronze medal at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck and appearances in eight world championships. He led the German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) as president from 2014 to 2022. Frank Lutz, the DEB chairman, described the election as a recognition of Reindl’s decades of work in the sport.
Immediate Policy Pressures
The new administration assumes power seven and a half months before the World Championship, set for Düsseldorf, Mannheim, and Gelsenkirchen. Reindl inherits a volatile agenda, including the controversial potential return of Russian teams to international play—a move backed by the International Olympic Committee but resisted by several major hockey nations. The federation must also defend its business model against the NHL’s planned World Cup launch in February 2028, which threatens to clash with the IIHF’s annual championship schedule. Reindl has called for a “steady hand, experience, and good communication,” citing an intent to focus on “building bridges” and reuniting the hockey community.
Reindl Leads IIHF After Previous Legal Investigations
This victory follows a difficult cycle five years ago. During his time as managing director of the DEB GmbH, Reindl faced investigations by the German Olympic Sports Confederation ethics commission and the public prosecutor’s office regarding compensation for his role as federation president. He did not seek re-election in 2022, a year framed by the German national team’s silver-medal success at the 2023 World Championship, following their 2018 Olympic silver. Reindl’s current term as IIHF president is set to run through October 2030.
