1:2011 In Memoriam Horst G. Schreiber

T
he introduction of World Cups coincided
with another radical innovation
through which the vexing
problem of having too many tied scores was
successfully solved: the Finals. Here for the
first time the top eight shooters competed
against each other to determine the best
man or woman by firing an additional ten
shots on command, with tenth ring scores
and immediate scoring. This format was also
a major step forward in making the sport of
shooting attractive to the media and exciting
for the spectators.
The desire for an exciting presentation of
sport shooting gained a new dynamic with
the introduction of electronic targets in the
early 1990s. This offered spectators a combination
of immediate scoring and displayed
scores. The 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona
were the first events to have full electronic
scoring support. Attractive new means of media
reporting arose from this development.
The work of Horst Schreiber as Secretary
General was driven by his enthusiasm for
the sport in the best sense of the word. This
is reflected first in the elimination of everything
in shooting that gave the impression of
aiming at another human being, as was the
case with the targets used for rapid fire pistol
until 1990. It is also reflected in his efforts
to help Member Federations worldwide form
strong foundations and to help the world federation
achieve uniformity in its regulations
and the dissemination of shooting technique
knowledge. The ISSF training academy has
served the latter objective since 1993. The
introduction of disciplines for women and juniors
and the integration of women into the
federation’s committees is testimony to the
positive sporting spirit of Olegario Vázquez
and Horst Schreiber, which they pursued
cautiously yet intensively in accelerating
this transformation in the international
sporting world.
Placing the sport centre-stage was also
a major reason why the UIT (Union International
de Tir) changed its name to ISSF
(International Shooting Sport Federation)
in 1998. It was also important to emphasize
the nature of the association by using the
term ‘federation’, to make the change from
French to English, and to highlight its character
as “der Weltschützenverband” (the
world governing body of sport shooting).
The close cooperation that developed
over the decades between the ISSF
Vázquez/Schreiber management duo and
the German Shooting Federation Presidium,
reached a climax in July 2010 with Munich’s
hosting of the 50 th World Championships.
Organisers, hosts, athletes, visitors, exhibitors
and media unanimously agreed that
the impeccable organisation made for a successful
event with flair. With 2,200 shooters
from 103 nations competing in 55 shooting
events for 477 medals, this Jubilee World
Championship celebration was both the
biggest and most successful of all time.
Best performances were not only obtained
in the sports arena with a whole range of
new records, but also in the media sector.
With 590 million television viewers worldwide,
audience figures reached hitherto
unknown proportions. Using state-of-theart
media such as Internet live streaming
and video highlight summaries of all event
finals, for the first time the World Championship
had a global presence.
O
legario Vázquez Raña and Horst
G. Schreiber were reelected for
additional terms at the ISSF
General Assembly meeting on the occasion
of the Munich World Championship. The
work of Horst Schreiber was also recognized
over the decades by the conferring of
a variety of prestigious awards.
On 27 April 1987, the ISSF awarded its
Secretary General the Blue Cross, its highest
award, for many years of outstanding
service to international shooting sport.
IN MEMORIAM
On 25 April 1992 IOC President Juan Antonio
Samaranch presented Horst Schreiber
with the Olympic Order in Silver for his services
to the Olympic sport. With this, he became
one of a small, exclusive group of people
who have been given this high honour of
the Olympic movement.The President of the
Federal Republic of Germany approved the
proposal to award Horst Schreiber the Federal
Cross of Merit with Ribbon. The award
took place on 19 June 1992.
On 27 March 2009, the General Association
of International Sports Federations
(AGFIS – now SportAccord) presented Horst
Schreiber with the Spirit of Sport Award in
recognition of his many years of outstanding
service to sport as a means of positive
social development. This award extends far
beyond the realms of shooting sport and
is extremely rare, being awarded no more
than three times a year.
Horst Schreiber was not only the recipient
of many high honours during his richly
fulfilled life, but he also enjoyed high regard
as a versatile and very experienced adviser.
In his capacity as an international official he
was able to benefit from his training as a
lawyer, his diplomatic skills and his cosmopolitanism.
From an early age he considered
it important to learn English. This was followed
by a period of study abroad at Harvard
University (USA).
H
e always enjoyed spending his
free time engaged in sporting
activities such as hunting,
skiing, tennis, sport shooting and golf.
However, this was also accompanied by a
broad-based social commitment through
associations and committees. A passionate
nature lover, he found peace while observing
wildlife.
This sociable family man always presented
his ideas clearly and openly, but he
also knew how to promote his view of matters
with arguments. He had an unerring
intuition about people and what is feasible,
which predestined him for successful negotiations
in international sports politics.
In July 2010, Horst Schreiber looked confidently
to the future and stood for re-election
to office. He bore the burden of his serious
illness with dignity, especially when his
condition began to deteriorate surprisingly
quickly in the late summer. Horst Schreiber
was always a self-determined man, even in
the final stage of his life. He passed away on
11 December 2010 at the age of 82 years.
ISSF NEWS 11