Sports size with a lot of influence: Boll consultant and multifunctional: Hans Wilhelm Gäb died

German sport mourns one of its most influential officials. The former table tennis, car manager and sports aid boss Hans Wilhelm Gäb died last Sunday at the age of 89. This was announced by the German Table Tennis Association (DTTB) and its former Borussia Düsseldorf association on Good Friday, citing the family.

The Presidium of the German Table Tennis Association (DTTB) belonged for 45 years. From 1981 to 1994 he was his president. As an active player, he took part in the World Cup in Dortmund in 1959. Decades later he became a close consultant of the most famous German player Timo Boll. “Hans Wilhelm Gäb, the far -sighted sports politician, the cosmopolitan gentleman with intellect, humor and attitude – it will be missing from German table tennis and German sport as no other,” wrote the DTTB.

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However, Gabe worked far beyond “his” sport. In 1981 he rose to the board of the Opel Group and built up the sports sponsoring of the automobile manufacturer. Steffi Graf, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Franziska van Almsick: They all campaigned for the brand in the 80s and 90s.

The board of the Deutsche Sporthilfe Foundation for the first time belonged to 1988. In 2005 he became her board, two years later, her head of the supervisory board. He also sat twice in the Presidium of the National Olympic Committee.

In 2006 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded him the Olympic Order. Ten years later, it gave it back voluntarily. He was protesting against the decision of the IOC that, after the discovery of a large doping scandal, he was not protesting from the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.