European Athletics is extremely saddened to learn that its Executive Board Member Frank Hensel from Germany died on Sunday (29) at the age of 70 after suffering from a serious illness in recent months.
Hensel served as European Athletics Vice President between 2015 and 2019 before he was elected onto the Executive Board at the 2019 Congress in Prague. Hensel also served as the Chair of the European Athletics Development Commission and was first elected to the European Athletics Council in 2007.
Hensel also left an indelible mark on German athletics over the last three decades. A former decathlete, Hensel was the CEO for the highly-lauded 2009 World Athletics Championships in Berlin when Usain Bolt memorably broke the world records in both the 100m and 200m.
Hensel also served as the General Secretary and Director General of the German Athletics Federation for nearly two decades between 1998 and 2016. Prior to that, Hensel served as Head Coach and High Performance Director of the German Athletics Federation between 1994 and 1998.
President of the German Athletics Federation Jurgen Kessing said: 'For the world of athletics, the death of Frank Hensel is a great loss. He has been involved in a wide variety of functions for many decades and enjoyed the highest reputation worldwide.'
European Athletics sends its deepest condolences to Frank's family and friends as well as the German Athletics Federation.