Former Infront employee Harald Griebel was announced as the 2009 Paul Loicq Award winner for outstanding contributions to the IIHF and international ice hockey.

Harald worked for almost three decades with marketing and developing the IIHF World Championship in his executive position at Infront Sports & Media (and their predecessors CWL and Kirchsport). He has been part of every IIHF World Championship since 1981 and worked at many other IIHF top events.    

Harald officially retired at the 2008 IIHF World Championship in Quebec City. It was under his supervision that the event developed to one of the world’s most watched and attended team sport championships.    

Harald’s nomination was announced together with five other 2009 IIHF Hall of Fame inductees: In the Players’ category Rudi Hiti (Yugoslavia / Slovenia), Alexei Kasatonov (Soviet Union / Russia) and Jan Suchy (Czechoslovakia / Czech Republic); in the Builder’s category Walter L. Bush Jr. (USA) and in the Officials’ category Laszlo Schell (Hungary).     

Harald Griebel will be awarded by IIHF President Rene Fasel during the upcoming IIHF World Championship in Berne on 5 May 2009.  

The Paul Loicq Award is presented annually by the IIHF Hall of Fame to honour a person for his service to the IIHF and to the international ice hockey community. The award is named after the Belgian who was the IIHF’s President for 25 years (1922-1947). Harald is only the 12th person to receive this award.