Hümmelt, Gunther

Year Inducted / Année Intronisé:

2000

Category / Catégorie:

Builder

Biography / Biographie:

Günther Hummelt (July 21, 1931 – July 3, 2010) was part of a group of international curling enthusiasts who dedicated many hours during the 1980s and early 90s to a bid for official Olympic recognition of curling. Following a failed bid in 1988, Hummelt regrouped and led the charge for Olympic-medal status into the 90s. Curling lacked the required 25 member nations competing on three continents, so he recruited new curling nations—completing the necessary groundwork that brought Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Belgium into the fold, the negotiating tirelessly with Romania, Yugoslavia, Argentina, Turkey and Russia, among others. Hummelt retired after 10 years as president of the World Curling Federation.

He was an Austrian curler and curling coach who contributed greatly to the development of the sport of curling. Most notably, he served as the first president of the World Curling Federation following its succession of the International Curling Federation, which Hummelt was also a part of, and served as president of the Austrian Curling Association from 1980 to 2010.

In 2012, Hummelt was posthumously inducted into the WCF Hall of Fame.