Sigfrid Edström
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His Excellency Sigfrid Edström |
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| 4th President of the International Olympic Committee | |
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In office 1942 – August 15th 1952 |
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| Preceded by | Henri de Baillet-Latour |
| Succeeded by | Avery Brundage |
| Honorary President of the International Olympic Committee | |
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In office August 15, 1952 – March 18, 1964 |
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| Preceded by | "Vacant", last holder Pierre de Coubertin (1937) |
| Succeeded by | "Vacant", next holder Avery Brundage (1975) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
11 November 1870 Morlanda, Sweden |
| Died | 18 March 1964 (aged 93) , Sweden |
| Nationality | Swedish |
| Spouse(s) | Ruth Randall Edström |
Johannes Sigfrid Edström (November 11, 1870 – March 18, 1964) was a Swedish industrialist, chairman of the Sweden-America Foundation, and 4th President of the International Olympic Committee.
Edström was born in the tiny village of Morlanda, on the island of Orust, Bohuslän. He studied at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, where he graduated in 1891, and continued studying at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, and the United States. In his youth, he was a top sprinter, capable of finishing the 100 m in 11 seconds. He was the director of the Gothenburg trams from 1900 to 1903, where he was in charge of electrifying them, and of the electrotechnical company ASEA from 1903 to 1933, and president of ASEA's board from 1934 until 1939.
Edström was involved in Swedish sports administration, and helped organize the 1912 Summer Olympics in . 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 holding a position on the Executive Committee, became vice-president in 1931. When IOC president Henri de Baillet-Latour died in 1942, Edström was the acting president until the end of World 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 this position and was succeeded by Avery Brundage.
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