Paul Loicq (11 August 1888 – 26 March 1953) was a Belgian lawyer, businessman and ice hockey player, coach, referee and administrator.

He inducted into the inaugural class of the IIHF Hall of Fame in 1997, and was credited for growing the game of hockey in Europe and raising its worldwide profile.

The IIHF established the Paul Loicq Award in 1998, given to recognize an individual for outstanding contributions to the development of international ice hockey.

[5][7] He was a leader in the Belgian Resistance against the German occupation of Belgium during World War II, and rose to the rank of colonel.

The Palais de Glace d'Anvers in Antwerp hosted both hockey and the corresponding figure skating events.

[21] The games used the Canadian ice hockey rules, and the Bergvall system to determine medal winning teams.

[2] He led Belgium to a silver medal, and a second-place finish to the Austria men's national ice hockey team.

His team included captain Willy Kreitz as the best player of the tournament, and Pierre Van Reysschoot.

[26] Loicq was elected president of the Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace (LIHG) in 1922 to succeed Max Sillig.

[31] In 1924, Loicq and the LIHG assisted in organizing a hockey tournament at the International Winter Sports Week held in Chamonix, France.

[32] In 1928, the LIHG decided that ice hockey at the 1928 Winter Olympics would also determine the European Championship, instead of hosting a separate event.

[33] After the increased participation at the Olympic Games, the LIHG congress decided that Ice Hockey World Championships would be hosted annually starting in 1930.

[29] The 1930 World Ice Hockey Championships was the first annual event, and was scheduled to play outdoors in Chamonix, France.

The natural ice melted and the event relocated to indoor venues in Berlin and Vienna for the final matches.

[26] When the 1932 tournament was played, only four teams participated, with only two European associations making the trip due to difficulties of raising funds to pay for long-distance travel during the Great Depression.

The tournament saw the Great Britain men's national ice hockey team which included British-Canadian dual citizens capture the gold medal, over the defending champion Canada men's national ice hockey team which won silver.

[38][39] He later denied accusations from Canadian Amateur Hockey Association president E. A. Gilroy that the rules were changed during the event.

The LIHG decided to award future World Championships only to countries with an artificial ice rink available for the games.

Loicq felt that the resolutions were passed since member associations did not want to play against multiple teams in the British Empire with Canadian-trained players.

[5] The Hockey Hall of Fame states that Loicq was a "dedicated organizer" who spent a lifetime involved in the game, was "respected for his project management skills" and a "visionary" who was the "brain on the national and international scene".

The award is given to recognize an individual for outstanding contributions to the development of international ice hockey,[19][53] and is handed out at the same time as the hall of fame induction.

He put Belgian hockey on the map", and that "Loicq contributed to the great strides that were made in increasing the sport throughout Europe in the 20th century".