Ilse Bechthold

Germany’s Ilse Bechthold had a long career with the German Athletics Association (DLV) where she made a substantial commitment to the role of women in the sport. Bechthold started her athletics career in the discus throw and shot put before she became a volunteer women’s warden with the DLV in 1969. By 1975 she had been elected as the Vice President of the organisation where she was committed to ensuring that middle and long-distance female athletes had a chance to compete. By 2001 she had been appointed to the Women of Sport working group of the IOC and was also a member of the National Olympic Committee.

Bechthold was bestowed with multiple awards and honours during her lifetime including the Gold Needle (1982), and the Honor Gold Ring (1993) by the DLV. In 1988 she received the Federal Cross of Merit, followed by the Silver Order of Merit from the World Athletics Federation in 2007. She was awarded with the Plaque of Merit by the city of Frankfurt and the Olympic Order in Silver in 2016.