Sigfrid Edström
Johannes Sigfrid Edström (November 21, 1870-March 18, 1964) was a Swedish industrial and sports official.
Born in the tiny village of Morlanda, Edström studied at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg and later in Switzerland and the US. In his youth, he was also a top sprinter, capable of finishing the 100 m in 11 seconds. He was director of the the electrotechnical company ASEA from 1903 to 1933, and president of the board from 1934 until 1939.
In the meanwhile, Edström had become involved in Swedish sports administration, and had helped organise the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm. During those Olympics, the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) was established, and Edström was elected its first president, which he remained until 1946.
He became a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1920, and after a position in the Executive Committe, he 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 his position in and was succeeded by Avery Brundage.
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