Uwe Schwenker

Forward Uwe Schwenker was on the West German handball squad at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics that won the silver medal after losing 18-17 in the final to Yugoslavia. Therefore, all players were awarded the Silver Bay Leaf, Germany’s highest sports award. Schwenker won 72 international caps and scored 164 goals.

Domestically, Schwenker played with TV Grambke-Bremen (until 1980) and THW Kiel (1980-92). He then took over the management of THW Kiel and became one of the most successful handball managers in Germany. Kiel won twelve German Championships, six German Cups, the European Champions League and the Champions Trophy (both in 2007}, and three European Cup Winners’ Cups during his stint from 1992-2009.

In 2009, rumors came up, that Schwenker would have bribed referees in Champions League matches. He then stepped down from his management job immediately and was impeached by the Kiel prosecutors. In 2012 he was cleared of all charges. In 2014, he was elected president of the German Handball League. Schwenker also owned an insurance agency, and a sport marketing agency.