Karl-Heinz Freiberger

Karl-Heinz Freiberger from SC Motor Jena earned 68 international caps for East Germany between 1961 and 1968. He also played the international qualifications, when East Germany lost the first match against West Germany 4-2 in West Berlin, and then won the return match 1-0 in Jena, requiring two more matches to be played. East Germany again won in Jena 1-0, but then tied the return match 2-2, and East Germany qualified for the 1964 Tokyo Games. Freiberger and his team defeated Kenya in the fifth-place match at the Tokyo Olympics, 3-0.

In 1968 East Germany again qualified for the Mexico City Olympics, with Freiberger also playing in that tournament. In the preliminary round during the 1968 Olympics, East and West Germany played their only official international match, with West Germany winning 3-2. East Germany finished the tournament as a disappointing eleventh, which caused East Germany to drastically reduce financial support for hockey (field). The Karl-Heinz-Freiberger-Hall was named in his honor in 1999 in the town where he was born.