Photo: Leo Medvedev/Лев Леонидович Медведев, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons⁴¹

Juan Antonio Samaranch

President of the IOC from 1980 to 2001

Juan Antonio Samaranch y Torelló, 1st Marquess of Samaranch (Catalan: Joan Antoni Samaranch i Torelló, Catalan pronunciation: [ʒuˈan ənˈtɔni səməˈɾaŋ]; 17 July 1920 – 21 April 2010) was a Spanish sports administrator under the Franco regime (1973–1977) who served as the seventh president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 1980 to 2001.²

From Wikipedia’s article on Juan Antonio Samaranch (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Jul 17, 1920, died Apr 21, 2010.¹

Companies

Association of National Olympic Committees of AfricaFounder⁴⁰

Early life and education

Date not recordedGerman School of Barcelona³
Date not recordedUniversity of Navarre³
Date not recordedIESE Business School³

Academic awards

Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Alicante (1992), University of Granada (1997), Universidad Camilo José Cela (2002), University of Huelva (2003), Zhejiang University (2006) and Universidad Europea de Madrid (2009)

From Wikipedia’s article on Juan Antonio Samaranch (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Career

Occupation: politician, functionary, businessperson, journalist, sports official, coach, diplomat, rink hockey player.^{8 18}

2001 to 2010Member of the International Olympic Committee^{7 16}
1987 to 1999Chairperson, La Caixa^{7 15}
1980 to 2001President of the International Olympic Committee⁷
1980 to 2001Chair, International Olympic Committee¹⁷
1977 to 1980Ambassador of Spain to Mongolia^{7 14}
1977 to 1980Spanish ambassador to the Soviet Union^{7 13}
1973 to 1977President of the Provincial Deputation of Barcelona^{7 11}
1973 to 1977Barcelona provincial deputy^{7 12}
1973 to 1977Procurador en Cortes^{7 10}
1973 to 1977President, Caixa Catalunya^{7 9}
1967Procurador en Cortes^{7 8}
1966 to 1970President of Spain's Olympic Comitee⁷

More of their career (4)

1955 to 1967Barcelona provincial deputy⁷
Date not recordedFounded Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa⁴
Date not recordedFounded Spanish People's Union⁵
Date not recordedFounded Olympic Museum⁶

Personal life

BornJul 17, 1920, Barcelona^{8 19}
DiedApr 21, 2010, Barcelona²⁰
CitizenshipSpain²¹
ResidenceBarcelona²²
SpouseMaría Teresa Salisachs married 1955^{23 24}

Samaranch married María Teresa Salisachs Rowe, known as "Bibí" (26 December 1931 – 16 September 2000), on 1 December 1955. She died in Spain while he was attending the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Two children were born of this marriage: his elder child and daughter, María Teresa Samaranch Salisachs (born 1956), has been president of the Spanish Federation of Sports on Ice since 2005, while his younger child and son, Juan Antonio Samaranch Salisachs (born 1959), has been a member of the International Olympic Committee since 2001.

From Wikipedia’s article on Juan Antonio Samaranch (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Politics

After actively participating in the Spanish Civil War, Samaranch studied commerce at IESE Business School in Barcelona. He had a short career as a sports journalist for La Prensa, which ended in his dismissal in 1943 for criticising the supporters of Real Madrid C.F. after that club's 11–1 defeat of FC Barcelona, and then joined his family's textile business. He joined the board of La Caixa, Spain's largest savings bank, in 1984, and served as president of the board from 1987 to 1999. He remained as honorary president from his retirement in 1999 to his death.

Samaranch served on the municipal government of Barcelona, with responsibility for sports, from 1955 to 1962. He was a procurador (member of the lower house) of the Cortes Españolas during the last decade of the Franco regime, from 1964 until the restoration of democracy in 1977. From 1967 to 1971, he also served as "national delegate" (minister) for sports, and from 1973 to 1977 he was the president of the diputación (governing council) of the Province of Barcelona. He was appointed ambassador of Spain to the Soviet Union and Mongolia in 1977, immediately after the restoration of diplomatic relations between the countries: this post helped him to gain the support of the Soviet bloc countries in the election to the presidency of the IOC, held in Moscow in 1980.

He had been the chef de mission of the Spanish team at a number of Olympic events, before he was appointed Government Secretary for Sports by Spanish Head of State Francisco Franco in 1967. He also became the president of the Spanish National Olympic Committee and a member of the IOC. He was vice-president of the IOC from 1974 to 1978.

From Wikipedia’s article on Juan Antonio Samaranch (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Awards

2023La Vanguardia Prize^{25 38}
2018China Reform Friendship Medal^{25 37}
2006Medal and Plaque of Tourist Merit²⁵
2005honorary doctor of the Zhejiang University^{25 36}
2001Gold Olympic Order²⁵
2001Order of the Golden Fleece²⁵
2000Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic‎²⁵
2000Grand Cross of the Order of the White Double Cross‎^{25 35}
2000Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay^{25 34}
2000Philippe Chatrier Award^{25 33}

More awards (39)

1997honorary doctorate of the University of Granada^{25 32}
1995doctor honoris causa from the Paris-Sorbonne University^{25 31}
1993Grand Order of King Tomislav^{25 30}
1992honorary doctor of Comenius University^{25 29}
1992honorary doctor of the University of Alicante²⁵
1990honorary doctorate at the Laval University^{25 28}
1989honorary doctorate from the University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis²⁵
1988Princess of Asturias Award for Sports^{25 27}
1986Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Sports Merit²⁵
1982Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X the Wise²⁵
1980Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III²⁵
1975Spanish Order of the Police Merit²⁵
1974Grand Cross of the Aeronautical Merit - White Decoration²⁵
1970Grand Cross of the Order of Merit for Agriculture²⁵
1968Grand Cross of the Cross of Military Merit with White Decoration²⁵
1968Grand Cross of the Order of Cisneros²⁵
1967Grand Cross of Naval Merit with white badge²⁵
Date not recordedCommander with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland²⁵
Date not recordedDecoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria²⁵
Date not recordedFIBA Hall of Fame²⁵
Date not recordedGold Medal of the Generalitat of Catalonia²⁵
Date not recordedGrand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit²⁵
Date not recordedHungarian Order of Merit²⁵
Date not recordedKnight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic²⁵
Date not recordedMedal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow"²⁵
Date not recordedOrder of Freedom of the Republic of Slovenia²⁵
Date not recordedOrder of Friendship of Peoples²⁵
Date not recordedOrder of Good Hope²⁵
Date not recordedOrder of Honour²⁵
Date not recordedOrder of Manas²⁵
Date not recordedOrder of Outstanding Merit²⁵
Date not recordedOrder of Prince Yaroslav the Wise²⁵
Date not recordedOrder of Sikatuna²⁵
Date not recordedOrder of Stara Planina²⁵
Date not recordedOrder of the Cross of Terra Mariana²⁵
Date not recordedOrder of the Liberator²⁵
Date not recordedOrder of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas^{25 26}
Date not recordedOrder of the Republic²⁵
Date not recordedOrder of the Yugoslav Flag²⁵

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

1
WikidataJuan Antonio Samaranch on Wikidata
2
WikipediaJuan Antonio Samaranch on Wikipedia
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WikidataJuan Antonio Samaranch: education, on Wikidata
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WikidataJuan Antonio Samaranch: Founded Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa, on Wikidata
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WikidataJuan Antonio Samaranch: Founded Spanish People's Union, on Wikidata
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WikidataJuan Antonio Samaranch: Founded Olympic Museum, on Wikidata
7
WikidataJuan Antonio Samaranch: Barcelona provincial deputy, on Wikidata
8
WikidataProcurador en Cortes, as reported
9
WikidataPresident, Caixa Catalunya, as reported
10
WikidataProcurador en Cortes, as reported
11
WikidataPresident of the Provincial Deputation of Barcelona, as reported
12
WikidataBarcelona provincial deputy, as reported
13
WikidataSpanish ambassador to the Soviet Union, as reported
14
WikidataAmbassador of Spain to Mongolia, as reported
15
WikidataChairperson, La Caixa, as reported by Los Sitios
16
WikidataMember of the International Olympic Committee, as reported
17
WikidataJuan Antonio Samaranch: Chair, International Olympic Committee, on Wikidata
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WikidataJuan Antonio Samaranch: occupation, on Wikidata
19
WikidataJuan Antonio Samaranch: place of birth, on Wikidata
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WikidataJuan Antonio Samaranch: place of death, on Wikidata
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WikidataJuan Antonio Samaranch: citizenship, on Wikidata
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WikidataJuan Antonio Samaranch: residence, on Wikidata
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WikidataJuan Antonio Samaranch: spouse, on Wikidata
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Wikidataspouse, as reported
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WikidataJuan Antonio Samaranch: award, on Wikidata
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Wikidataaward, as reported
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Wikidataaward, as reported
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Wikidataaward, as reported
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Wikidataaward, as reported
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Wikidataaward, as reported
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Wikidataaward, as reported by Journal officiel de la République française
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Wikidataaward, as reported
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Wikidataaward, as reported
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Wikidataaward, as reported
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Wikidataaward, as reported
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Wikidataaward, as reported
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Wikidataaward, as reported
38
Wikidataaward, as reported
39
WikidataJuan Antonio Samaranch: IMDb, on Wikidata
40
WikidataAssociation of National Olympic Committees of Africa, Founder
41
Wikimedia CommonsJuan Antonio Samaranch photo by Leo Medvedev/Лев Леонидович Медведев, CC BY-SA 4.0

Companies

Early life and education

Academic awards

Career

Personal life

Politics

Awards

Links

Sources