We learned with great sadness of the death of Wilfried ‘Willi’ Lemke, who for many years was a friend of the great judo family. Although he was mainly known for his involvement in football, he was the manager of the great Fußball-Bundesligisten SV Werder Bremen from 1981 to 1999, but was also known for his role with the Secretary General of the United Nations.
He served as the United Nations Secretary General's Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace and was appointed to the position by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in March 2008. For several years,m he therefore followed, with great attention, the development of Judo for Peace programmes and went into the field on several occasions to see to what extent the values of judo had the power to transcend differences.
In 2012, IJF International Judo Federation (IJF) President Marius L. Vizer (left) and UN Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace Wilfried Lemke sign partnership in Abu Dhabi
The judo family extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Willi Lemke and will remember a man with a big heart who believed in the power of sport to create a more just society.