Franz Reindl elected IIHF president after 60-57 win over Bříza in Tenerife
News — 3 October 2026
Franz Reindl (Germany) is the new president of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). The federation’s semi-annual congress, held in Tenerife on 2 October 2026, elected the 71-year-old German leader in a very tight second round: 60 votes to 57 for the Czech Petr Bříza.
The vote was close from the start. In the first round Bříza led with 48 votes to 36 for Reindl. After Aivaz Omorkanov (Kyrgyzstan) dropped out, Reindl turned the second ballot around. According to congress coverage, six of the nine confirmed candidates withdrew before the election.
Who is Franz Reindl
Reindl was born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 1954. As a player he won Olympic bronze with West Germany at Innsbruck 1976 and played in several World Championships. He led the German ice hockey federation (DEB) from 2014 to 2022 and has sat on the IIHF Council since 2016, where he chaired the events and championships committee. In 2021 he finished second in the presidential election won by Luc Tardif.
His term as president runs to October 2030. He succeeds Luc Tardif, who announced in March 2026 that he would not seek re-election and stayed in office until the end of his term.
Bříza stays first vice-president and there is a new Council
Petr Bříza continues in the IIHF leadership as first vice-president. According to congress coverage, the new 15-member Council includes Mike Trimboli (United States), Heikki Hietanen (Finland), Viesturs Koziols (Latvia), Zsuzsanna Kolbenheyer (Hungary), Marta Zawadzka (Poland), Anders Larsson (Sweden), Aivaz Omorkanov (Kyrgyzstan), Susie Jo (South Korea), Igor Nemecek (Slovakia), Merve Tunali (Türkiye), Andy Mills (New Zealand), Stoian Batchvarov (Bulgaria) and Sergey Goncharov (Belarus), alongside the president and the first vice-president.
Several international media noted that Canada is left without a seat on the Council for the first time in three decades.
About Napapiri’s support for Frank González
Napapiri publicly backed Frank González, the Spanish candidate, based on his career as a player, referee, rink professional and federation president. González does not appear in the list of the new Council published after the vote. We fully respect the decision of the member federations and congratulate the elected president and the elected Council members.
Our support was a statement of confidence in an ice-sports professional, not a prediction of the result. Our commitment to developing ice sports outside the major markets stands: every skating session starts with access to a proper rink.
From the vote to the rinks
For event organizers, municipalities and sports facilities, what matters starts now: the new leadership’s priorities on development, competitions and infrastructure. The Council’s decisions on calendars, programs and access to ice will shape the work of federations and clubs over the next four years.
Well-maintained real ice remains the foundation of all of it. Without proper rinks, participation does not grow and development programs never reach the ice. Napapiri has designed, manufactured, rented and sold real-ice rinks since 1993 and will keep supporting that work worldwide.
Cover photo: Franz Reindl during the Germany-Slovakia preparation match in Dresden, 29 April 2022. Archive photo; not from the 2026 election. Sandro Halank / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0. Original photograph used without modifications.
