Hans Wilhelm Gäb alongside Jörg Rosskopf (left) and Steffen Fetzner (right)
A stalwart of the German Table Tennis Association (DTTB) and most valued member of the Swaythling Club International, Hans Wilhelm Gäb passed away on Sunday 13th April, he was 89 years old.
Born on Tuesday 31st March 1936. he started playing table tennis in 1949, became a member of Borussia Düsseldorf in 1951, joined the DTTB Executive Committee in 1979, stepping down in 2024 after 45 years of service.
Undoubtedly, Gäb is best known as one of the most highly respected officials the sport has ever known but make no mistake, before administrative positions assumed priority, he was no mean player.
Overall, he made 13 appearances for the West German team. Lining up alongside Erich Arndt, Conny Freundorfer, Ernst Gomolla and Dieter Köhler, he played in the Dortmund 1959 World Championships, ninth place in the men’s team event a most creditable finish. Also, on the international scene, he was on duty at the 1960 and 1962 European Championships.
Meanwhile, domestically, partnering Horst Langer he won the men’s doubles title at the national championships in 1958 and 1960, the mixed doubles alongside Jutta Kruse in 1961 and 1962. Furthermore, in 1961 and 1969 he was a member the PSV Borussia Düsseldorf men’s team that won the German Bundesliga, the club where he established a lifelong friendship with Ebby Schöler.
Honorary President of the DTTB, for many years Gäb occupied the highest positions in the Opel Automotive Company and General Motors Europe, in addition he was President of Deutsche Sporthilfe from 2005 to 2007, a non-profit foundation to support athletes in order to compete at international level.
The heart and mind behind the development of table tennis in Germany, he became the spokesperson for players who were relatively unknown, first as Sports Director in the regional association, Table Tennis North Rhine-Westphalia, and from 1979 as a member of the DTTB presidium. He worked side by side with Schöler to create good conditions for professional players. Jörg Rosskopf and Timo Boll are beneficiaries, both following the Gäb principle: “learn to lose decently and win with humility”.
Creating a professional approach, adopting far seeing policies, under his tutelage the 1989 World Championships in Dortmund set new standards introducing among other initiatives the red flooring. Significantly, Steffen Fetzner and Jörg Rosskopf won the men’s doubles, a new era in the public perception of table tennis dawned.
Improving the image of sport was just one of his many talents, he became a notable journalist. He possessed a feeling for language; he was creative, always working diligently and demonstrating great willpower. He took his first important steps in journalism in the local Düsseldorf daily newspaper “Mittag”. In 1968, having a great interest in cars and motorsport, he founded “Auto Zeitung”, fulfilling the role of editor-in-chief.
Soon after, he moved to public relations, assuming the role of head of the press department at Ford-Werke in Cologne; he progressed to being a member of the Board of Management as the first ever Head of Communications. Later In 1981, he moved to Opel, first to the Board of Management in Rüsselsheim, then to the headquarters of General Motors Europe. He initiated sponsorship deals with tennis star Steffi Graf, legendary swimmer Franziska van Almsick and the football clubs Bayern Munich and AC Milan; among others, he gave Opel and its parent company General Motors a fresh image.
Throughout, high integrity was his hallmark, the virtues of sport “Performance. Fair Play. Together”, were paramount in his thinking, the slogan that later he gave to to Sporthilfe and followed in his business life. A leader, never afraid to face problems and make difficult decisions but never autocratic, his expertise in the art of communication, motivated colleagues to develop their skills.
Over the years he gained widespread trust and respect; in 1992 he became President of the European Table Tennis Union, fulfilled the role of Chef de Mission for the all-German Olympic team at the Barcelona Olympic Games and was named as successor to Willi Daume as President of the National Olympic Committee.
Unfortunately, in 1993 he had to retire from all offices, he contracted a liver virus, a transplant saved the life.
Typically, he wanted to give something back, in 1996, he founded Sportler für Organspende (Athletes Supporting Organ Donation), expanding in 2004 to include the Kinderhilfe Organtransplantation (Children’s Aid for Organ Transplantation).
Numerous celebrities including Timo Boll to Steffi Graf helped him to revitalise Germans’ willingness to donate organs. After overcoming illness, he returned to officialdom, his energy undiminished.
Soon after his return, he was in action; in 2005 the German Sports Aid Foundation was in difficulty, the organisation needed a fresh start, they turned to Gäb. First as Chairman of the Executive Board, then as Chairman of the Supervisory Board, he organised the necessary changes, consolidated the budget and secured the organisation’s future. He still occupies the position of Honorary Chairman of the Foundation’s Supervisory Board.
Matters conducted in a thoughtful manner whatever the subject, Gäb has received a host of accolades. Sports Marketing Man of the Year in 1996, the Laureus Media Award in 2005 stand out, as does in 2006 the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Notably, in 2020, he was inducted into the national sports “Hall of Fame” and received the lifetime award “Golden Sports Pyramid” from the German Sports Aid Foundation; the award being made by Franziska van Almsick.
Well merited awards but principles come first. In 2016 he returned the International Olympic Committee (IOC) medal he had received in 2006. He considered the IOC’s decision not to exclude Russia from the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, following the discovery of state-sponsored doping, to be the most serious blow to the integrity of sport and Olympic principles.
Hans Wilhelm Gäb: quite simply danke schön, rest in peace.