In Memoriam Prof Dr Oded Bar-or

It is with the deepest regret that I and my colleagues of the faculty of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences of the KULeuven learned that our esteemed colleague and dear friend Prof Dr Oded Bar-Or passed away on the evening of December 8, 2005. Of course, a number of us, already knew about his illness but we all have hoped that he would have been among us for a much longer time. I learned to know Oded through the meetings of the European Paediatric Work Physiology Group. He was an active member of that group and after Prof Dr Joseph Rutenfranz passed away Oded became one of the leaders. Later on, I learned to know Oded better through a number of International Organization in which Dr Bar-Or always played a major and leading role. I will remember Oded as a dear friend, with a great personality and as one of the best scholars over the last decades in the field of paediatric exercise science. He was a prime mover and leader in many organizations and through his publications and lectures that he delivered worldwide he inspired a great number of young scientists. It has been my honour and pleasure to work under his guidance and leadership in a number of scientific organizations and for a couple of scientific monographs that he edited. His substantial impact on paediatric exercise science, his scientific contributions, leadership and personality will long be appreciated and fondly remembered by all those who have known him.