Header photo: Beppe Cinnirella, Raoul Theeuws and Tom Dielen on a boat trip in Sydney in 2000.
Former World Archery vice president and long-time Belgian coach Raoul Theeuws has died at the age of 94.
Theeuws had a long and storied relationship with archery.
He was coach of the Belgian team from the 1972 until the 1996 Olympic Games, often joking that he started with a fourth in Munich and finished with a fourth in Atlanta.
Theeuws played an active role in the Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Commmittee, was president of the Belgian archery federation for many years and was deeply involved in the sport internationally.
Raoul joined World Archery’s development and technical assistance committee, before first becoming a member of the executive board in 1987 and later being made vice president. His last term in that position concluded in 2003 at congress in New York.
A military man for most of his life, Raoul trained archers and coaches, including most in Belgium during the 1980s and 1990s, organising seminars domestically and abroad.
He worked on the many changes to archery’s competition formats, the introduction of matchplay and went on development missions, especially in Africa.
Raoul was at the origin of the project called FITA2000, which restructured the constitution of World Archery, then FITA, to the current laws and bylaws. He then helped with the professionalisation of the federation in 1996.
World Archery secretary general Tom Dielen issued the following statement:
“Raoul played a major role in my early years in archery. He managed my first coaching courses with Bloso, now Sport Vlaanderen, and was my mentor in Belgium for many years, giving advice on organising events and playing an important supporting rule in having archery recognised as a university sport.”
“He proposed that I join the world ranking and world cup committee in 1994 and was the person who informed me that FITA was looking for an executive director, the position for which I applied in 1996.”
“We had some great conversations when he most recently visited the world championships in 2019. Raoul was a visionary and made a considerable contribution to our sport at all levels. He will be missed by many.”
“On behalf of World Archery, my most sincere condolences go to his family, friends and the archery community in Belgium.”
Raoul’s funeral will be held at 10h00 on Saturday 21 August 2021 at Sint Laurentiuskerk church in Hove Kapelstraat, Belgium.
Messages of condolence should be directed to: Familie Theeuws – De Ley, p/a Uitvaartzorg Dieter Rits, Sint-Laureysplein 21 – 2540 Hove, Belgium.
