I met Jean Paul when I started to play Horse-Ball in 1989 ,  during a stage in Blanzac  of  which I have excellent  memories.

At that time Jean Paul DEPONS was the President of the French Commission. He  wrote, alongside his brother Bernard, the modern rules of Horse-Ball in the 70’s.

He created the first international commission in 1992 ,  where I had the honour to be the General Secretary. Jean Paul was a fantastic person, with a strong character,  difficult to forget.

He was an excellent communicator and together with his brother, the founded this wonderful sport.

He always focused on very high standards and was very demanding with everybody in order to achieve excellence.

He will always be recognised as the father of this sport. We will all miss him dearly. God bless him.

The most sincere condolences to Danielle, Bernard and all the family

Eric BASSOT

FIHB President