GLSA
Citation of Honor to Dr. Harald Vervaecke
The GLSA Citation of Honor is awarded to the ILS Secretary General, Dr. Harald Vervaecke, for his outstanding and long contributions to drowning prevention and lifesaving sport worldwide. Dr. Vervaecke is the contemporary “father” and the most influential authority of the global lifesaving community. The presentation will be made by the Secretary General of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, Emmanouil Kolympadis.
The awarding ceremony took place during the International Experts Symposium on Lifesaving as Olympic Sport. The symposium was organized by the Greek Lifesaving Sports Associatation and held at the Hellenic Olympic Committee in Halandri, Greece 20-21/-5/2023. The event was endorsed by 30 prestigious (inter)national organizations and 39 authorities by 17 nations.
Dr. Harald Vervaecke (Belgium) has served for a half century the field of drowning prevention like nobody else in the world as scholar, author, event organizer and world levelleader. He is credited with the remarkable birth of the International Life Saving Federation (ILS), the world’s leading drowning prevention and lifesaving sport organization, along with the renaissance of numerous others national and international lifesaving organizations. Early years, first contact with lifesaving and university life Dr. Harald Vervaecke was born on May 22, 1950 in Lubumbashi in Zaire (former Elisabethville -Belgian Congo). As a child he was interested in swimming and lifesaving. At the age of 11, he rescued a young girl that fall in a swimming pool. This successful rescue was a great way to start. Harald became a lifeguard in 1974 and has since then obtained over 17 Lifesaving, Lifeguarding, Diving and Rescue Diving Certificates. He studied both Physical Education and Physiotherapy at the University of Leuven in Belgium where he obtained both bachelors diploma in 1975 with great distinction. He was member of the University Swimming Team, where he specialised in free style and butterfly. After his swimming period, he became coach of the University swimming team for 8 years. In 1975, he started to lecture swimming and biomechanics at the University and obtained his master’s degree in 1978 and his PhD in 1983 on an experimental study related to “talent search and talent detection in swimming”.
Harald launched the lifesaving curriculum in the Leuven University first and later in all other Belgian Universities. In 1976, he became the Lifesaving Director at the Ministry of Sport for 28 years (1976-2004). Later he created the Belgian Lifesaving Federation in 1985 that was recognised by the Ministry of Sport and by the Olympic Committee. He was first elected as a Board Member in the FIS in 1988. He was a member of the Committee that was tasked tomerge the then existing organisations FIS and WLS to form ILS. He was elected Secretary General in 1993. Under his leadership, the ILS today is a respected umbrella organization that leads 150 national organisations in 120 countries. It is the only body recognized both by the International Olympic Committee and the World Health Organization for the input to society on drowning prevention through sports.
Harald is fluent in 6 languages, published numerous books and over 100 scientific articles. His professional career is as follows: 1975-1984: Professor in Sports Management and biomechanics at the Leuven University. 1984-1995: Director of Sport in the International Military Sports Council (CISM). 1993-now: Elected Secretary General of the ILS. 1995-now: Shareholder and CEO of three companies specialised in project planning, curriculum building, master planning and asset management. 1998-2001: Responsible within the European Union for the Development of Sports Management Programmes in Europe. 1998-2002: Associated Professor at the University of Leuven. 2001-2007: Senior Consultant to the Olympic Committee of Qatar and contracted writer of the 2006 Asian Games Master Plan. 2001-2006: Senior Advisor and Competition Manager at the Doha 2006 Asian Games. 2006-2008: Senior Consultant for the Marine Festival Project for the consort of the Emir of Qatar. His Multi Games experience is as follows: 1992-1994: Author of the Master Plan of the First Military World Games that took place in Rome in Italy in 1995. Responsible for the key organisational staff of 160 people. 1998: Co-ordinator of the production of the Bid for the organisation of the 2005 World Championships in Athletics in Brussels. 2001-2002: Co-ordinator of the Master Plan of the 2006 Asian Games. 2002-2003: Co-ordinator of the Master Plan of the 2004 Gulf Cooperation Countries Games. 2002-Now: Organiser and lecturer of several courses, workshops, strategic planning sessions, for the Qatar Olympic Committee. 2003-2004: Co-ordinator of the Master Plan of the 2005 West Asian Games. 2003: Member of the lobby team for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brussels. 2003-2005: Member of the Lobby Team of the Paris 2012 Olympic Games. 2005: Writer of the plan of the First Asian Games for Handicapped athletes in Doha, Qatar. 2005: Writer of the Feasibility study to organise the Olympic Games in Doha.
He participated as a manager at 14 ILS Lifesaving World Championships, 11 ILS World Drowning Prevention Conferences and 8 World Games as Lifesaving Competition Manager.
Vervaecke is in contact with many International Organisations such as: The International Olympic Committee since 1988 and the World Health Organisation since 2012. The Global Association of International Sport Federations since 1985 and SportAccord since 2000. The Association of IOC Recognised International Sport Federations since 1986. For four years he was a Board Member of ARISF. The International World Games Association since 1986. For 4 years he was a Board Member of the IWGA. He is writer of the IWGA Constitution and Bye-Laws and of the Rules of the World Games. The International Masters Games Association since 2006. The International Military Sports Council. Harald was the Director of Sport of CISM for 12 years. He introduced Lifesaving in the Military, organised many courses and included Lifesaving in the Military World Championships and the Military World Games. Furthermore, he has outstanding contacts with the International University Sport Federation, the International and European Swimming Federation, the World Underwater Federation and over 60 other sport and non-sport International Organisations.
Harald does not care about the role but about the goal. The goal is one; drowning prevention. “Even if I retire, I won’t stop thinking about lifesaving, because there is no life for me without lifesaving”, he said. He dreams and works methodically towards the inclusion of the only humanitarian sport of the world, lifesaving, in the Olympic Games. His philosophy is to "do good anyway!" He likes to be surrounded with everyone who is deeply immersed and passionate in lifesaving. His input to the world drowning prevention family is evident onsite and online, 24/7/365 acting as a sleepless flying eagle, shadowing with his wings everyone and everything. Remarkably, his activity that lasts over half a century is on a voluntary basis. He has influenced water safety like nobody else with such dedication, consistency and success. His passion and work have inspired directly thousands and benefited indirectly millions of people around the world. In 2004, he became ILS Grand Knight in the Order of Lifesaving. Dr. Harald Vervaecke is a tireless servant of global drowning prevention who if he did not exist, we would need to invent him!
