René Fasel

René Fasel started as an ice hockey player as a junior with HC Fribour-Gottéron in 1960, playing with them until 1972, when he retired to become a referee. He did that until 1982 when he became chair of the Swiss Ice Hockey League referees’ commission.

In 1985 Fasel became President of the Schweizerischer Eishockeyverband, the Swiss governing body for the sport. He was elected to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) council in 1986. In 1994 Fasel was elected President of the IIHF and would serve four consecutive terms as President. One of his goals was to develop a stronger relationship with the NHL, and in March 1995 he helped negotiate an agreement allowing NHL players to compete at the Olympic Winter Games.

Fasel became a member of the Swiss Olympic Association in 1992 and in 1995 was co-opted onto the International Olympic Committee (IOC). He also was chair of the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (AIOWF) and the IOC Coordination Commission for the 2010 Winter Olympics. In 2008 Fasel became the Winter International Federation Representative on the IOC Executive Board, a position he held until 2016.

Fasel stepped down as IIHF President in September 2021 and the next day, he was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame.