- Sigfrid Edström
Johannes Sigfrid Edström (
November 21 ,1870 –March 18 ,1964 ) was a Swedish industrial and sports official.Edström was born in the tiny village of
Morlanda , on the island ofOrust ,Bohuslän . He studied atChalmers University of Technology inGothenburg and later inSwitzerland and theUnited States . In his youth, he was a top sprinter, capable of finishing the 100 m in 11 seconds. He was director of the electrotechnical companyASEA from 1903 to 1933, and president of the board from 1934 until 1939.Edström was involved in Swedish sports administration, and helped organize the
1912 Summer Olympics inStockholm . During the Olympics, the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) was established, and Edström was elected its first president, a position that he held until 1946.He became a member of the
International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1920, and after a position in the Executive Committee, he became vice-president in 1931. When IOC presidentHenri de Baillet-Latour died in 1942, Edström was the acting president until the end ofWorld War II , when he was formally elected president. He played an important role in reviving the Olympic Movement after the war. In 1952, he retired from his position in and was succeeded byAvery Brundage .In 1931 Edström was involved in the controversial decision to ban legendary Finnish runner
Paavo Nurmi from competing at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics, as he saw Nurmi as a professional athlete. This affected Finlands relationship to Sweden negatively as Paavo Nurmi was considered a Finnish national hero.References
* [http://www.olympic.org/uk/organisation/ioc/presidents/edstrom_uk.asp International Olympic Committee profile]
* [http://www.olympic.org/uk/news/olympic_news/newsletter_full_story_uk.asp?id=2403 International Olympic Committee article]
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