Till Lufft, Honorary Member of the German University Sports Federation (adh), passed away on 20 December 2022, the day after his 82nd birthday.
FISU mourns the loss of a long-term friend and colleague. There are only a few people who have rendered such outstanding services to university sport over the past decades like Till Lufft. Enthusiastic, and visionary, this team player left a clear mark at national and international level.
He became adh Secretary General in 1974, laying the foundation for an impressive career as a sports official eight years after winning the 3,000m steeplechase title at the German University Championships.
As adh Secretary General during more than 20 years (1974-1995), Lufft not only largely contributed to anchor university sport in the Higher Education Framework Law, but also organised the German Unity of University Sport.
Furthermore, he led the organisation of the 1989 Universiade in Duisburg, with Germany replacing at short notice Brazil. In only 153 days, Lufft and his team managed to set up the event – the “fastest sports and cultural festival in the world”.
“Sometimes we acted first and then planned,” is how Till Lufft described the Duisburg Organising Committee’s feat.
Six years later, Lufft, who had been working with FISU for many years as Technical Delegate for Athletics and Cross Country, moved to the top of the European Athletic Association (EAA). As Secretary General of the EAA, he organised two European Championships.
But he never forgot his time with the German University Sports Federation: “It fills me with joy and gratitude that I was able to witness exciting key moments and milestones in adh’s history,” he said in a recent past.
“The adh honorary member Till Lufft has advanced clear values and an unambiguous stance at all levels of his activity. As a result, he became an important guide and role model for the adh and for the national and international (university) sports. We will cherish his memory and miss his advices and clear views. We hope to shape the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games, which also are a legacy of Till, in his spirit,” said Jörg Förster, Chair of the adh Board.