The 71-year-old received the most votes to become the organization’s 15th president.
Germany’s Franz Reindl has been elected as the new president of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
The voting required two rounds. The first round saw the Czech Republic’s Petr Briza with 48 votes (41.03%), Reindl with 36 (30.77%), and Kyrgyzstan’s Aivaz Omorkanov with 33 (28.21%).
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
Find out more
Since no candidate received more than 50%, Omorkanov's name was removed from the ballot and a second round was conducted.
In the second round, Reindl received 60 votes (51.28%) and Briza 57 (48.72%), making him the 15th president of the IIHF.
The 71-year-old, a three-time ice hockey Olympian, is the first German to hold the position since Dr. Gunther Sabetzki (1975-94).
The term for the new president and council will run from October 2026 to October 2030.
Reindl was also a candidate in the last IIHF presidential election in 2021 but was defeated by France's Luc Tardif in the fourth and final round of voting.
Tardif served just one five-year term after succeeding René Fasel, the IIHF’s longest-serving president. Fasel was first elected to the role in 1994.
In all, there were nine candidates in the running for the IIHF presidency. They included Henrik Bach Nielsen (Denmark), Sergey Goncharov (Belarus), Frank Gonzalez (Spain), Zakaria Khechuashvili (Georgia), Jaan Molder (Estonia), and Matjaz Rakovec (Slovenia).
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 at least three must be men. The formation of the Council includes the president, senior vice-president, three regional vice-presidents, and 10 council members.
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.
Domestically, Reindl was the founding chief executive of Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga, from 1994-96, helping to establish it as one of the top leagues in Europe.
Reindl also organized three World Championships in Germany – 2001, 2010, and 2017. The 2010 edition was particularly notable as the first game of the tournament was played at the Veltins Arena soccer stadium in Gelsenkirchen and set an IIHF attendance record of 77,803.
Experience unmatched clarity with a single platform that combines unique data, AI, and human expertise.
Find out more
Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights.
Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights.
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.
View all newsletters from across the GlobalData Media network.
Powered by 
© GlobalData Plc 2026
About the Author
