The brief obituary of Etienne Glichitch that appeared on the International Hockey Federation (FIH) website earlier this month chronicled many of the wonderful milestones and superb achievements in his rich and varied life. Sadly, many of the hockey stories behind the scenes will go unrecorded to the grave with this great man.
However, for countless hockey people whose lives he touched there was so much more to Etienne than the obituary revealed.
He was a gregarious person with an impish sense of humour. As far as I know, it was he who coined the phrase “The Hockey Family” to describe the spirit and camaraderie of hockey. This captured the essence of how he felt about the special band of people who run hockey worldwide.
I first met Etienne in Rome in the early 1980's whilst he was Secretary General of the FIH. An elderly Rene Frank was President at that time. It was clear in a brief meeting with them that Etienne’s complete mastery of the affairs of the FIH was a vital foil to the leadership of Rene.
Elizabeth Tummers was an important part of the day-to-day running of the FIH and the office - a very efficient and charming person who was also crucial in ensuring the FIH functioning effectively with a small staff. The FIH office was in Brussels at that time – later to be purchased by the European Hockey Federation.
It was also a time when the world of sport had condemned South Africa for the inhumanity of “apartheid”. Whilst the dictum of “no normal sport in an abnormal society” was the common stance, perceptive administrators such as Rene Frank and Etienne looked beyond the façade or conventional wisdom.
They realised that whilst it was simply impossible for South Africa to play official internationals or in world tournaments, to terminate South African Hockey’s membership of the FIH was to quench the flame of a latent contributor and future power within African Hockey. A nation that ultimately could contribute richly to the FIH and world hockey when the time was appropriate.
In the early 1990s soon after Nelson Mandela’s release from prison, the wisdom of their approach was to unfold but not before certain stringent pre-requisites were fulfilled at Etienne’s insistence. The farsightedness of Etienne was balanced by great humanity and the highest moral principles.
Like virtually all the FIH Presidents in recent history, after his election as President in 1984 he forged a team to achieve a vision for world hockey in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Around him a remarkable group of hockey people emerged - outstanding administrators and many colourful characters.
All three of the subsequent Presidents of the FIH, Juan Angel Calzado, Els van Breda Vriesman and Leandro Negre served on the FIH Council during Etienne’s tenure (the Council was the body that predated today’s Executive Board).
Etienne’s view that the FIH’s role within the Olympic Movement was a cornerstone of the healthy evolution of the FIH remains a key element of strategic planning to this day and his excellent relationship with IOC President, Juan Antonio Samaranch was to be a vital element in ensuring the strong bond.
Etienne was a top international umpire and Technical Delegate, with an intrinsic understanding of the hockey calendar, tournament structures and qualification. He had a clear vision of how Olympic and World Cup qualification should be fair and completely understandable for hockey enthusiasts.
He travelled very widely to support national associations and attend tournaments and I remember him saying that he had the stamps of over 100 nations in his passport.
But the essence of his travel was not only the support of national associations, but also to meet local sports authorities to garner support for hockey and to obtain a first-hand understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of national associations and how they could be assisted.
His humour and superb public relations in many of these important meetings was catalytic to macro sports bodies and sponsors intensifying their efforts for hockey.
He kept amazing records of tournament results and his memory was remarkable – verging on the photographic. He was an all-round sports enthusiast with a very broad general knowledge.
His charismatic and generous personality coupled with strong business principles and sports ethics were a magnificent example to successive generations of sports administrators, mainly volunteers who have successfully carried the torch and ensured that hockey is amongst the most respected sports with a very clean ethical record.
He laid the foundations for the modernisation of the game and its administration which his successors have successfully built upon to make hockey the exciting game it is today.
Little wonder that he finds a place amongst the Pantheon of hockey giants. A much loved and widely respected man who gave so much of himself to make hockey a greater game - a man who made the hockey family a cherished one to be part of. For so many it was an honour to serve hockey under his stewardship and to enjoy his friendship.
We will miss him greatly and our thoughts are with his family.
Steve Jaspan
