Tauberbischofsheim (pps) On Friday, February 1, 2008, Dr. Thomas Bach, head of German sports and close friend of FIL President Josef Fendt, will be awarded the honorary citizenship of his home town of Tauberbischofsheim. Expected guests at the ceremony include Jacques Rogge, the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Theo Zwanziger, the President of the German Football Association (DFB).

Bach (54), is not only IOC Vice-President and President of the German Olympic Sports Association (DOSB), but also the chairman of the supervisory board of the mechanical engineering company Weinig AG, the city’s largest employer. In 1976, Bach became Olympic champion as a fencer with the foil team.

Bach and Fendt, who won the silver medal at the 1976 Olympic Winter Games in Innsbruck, met for the first time at a reception following the Olympic Games. Bach, who also attended the 40th FIL World Championships in Oberhof on the past weekend, has been with the IOC since 1991. Fendt has been the President of the International Luge Federation (FIL) since 1994.