Count Renaud de la Frégeolière (29 April 1886 – 16 April 1981) was a French author, bobsledder and veteran

air force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

officer, who became the first president of the

Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF), originally known by the French name ''Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing'' (FIBT), is the international sports federation for bobsleigh and skeleton. It acts as a ...

(FIBT – International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation), from 1923 to 1960.

Bobsleigh debut

La Frégeolière made his first

bobsleigh Bobsleigh or bobsled is a team winter sport that involves making timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Feder ...

descent at

Leysin Leysin is a municipality of the canton of Vaud in the Aigle district of Switzerland. It is first mentioned around 1231–32 as ''Leissins'', in 1352 as ''Leisins''. Located in the Vaud Alps, Leysin is a sunny alpine resort village at the easte ...

, Switzerland in 1907 which led him to an early career in the sport. Six years later, he co-authored a book with Jules Magnus, founder of the

International Ice Hockey Federation The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 ...

(IIHF), on the Winter Games.

First World War

Enlisted in the

in August 1914, he was taken prisoner of war the following October 10. Until the 19th of July 1915, he is prisoner of war in the camp of Mersebourg in Germany. Part of an exchange of prisoners, as severely wounded, he is however back in service soon after, with one arm left. He passes his pilot's license, flying on

Nieuport Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars. History Beginnings Originally formed as Nieuport-Duplex in ...

and receive several military promotions, up to "adjudant" in July 1917.

Fondation of the FIBT

La Frégeolière developed rules and brought together various bobsleigh clubs in Europe which led to the formation of the FIBT in 1923. He had hoped to compete at the bobsleigh event at the track helped construct for the

1924 Winter Olympics The 1924 Winter Olympics, officially known as the I Olympic Winter Games (french: Iers Jeux olympiques d'hiver) and commonly known as Chamonix 1924 ( frp, Chamôni 1924), were a winter multi-sport event which was held in 1924 in Chamonix, Franc ...

Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc ( frp, Chamôni), more commonly known as Chamonix, is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. It was the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924. In 2019, it had ...

, but a training injury prevented this. La Frégeolière judged fifty

FIBT World Championships The IBSF World Championships (known as the FIBT World Championships until 2015), part of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation, have taken place on an annual basis since 1930. Starting with 2002, championships of non-Winter Olympi ...

, including ten bobsleigh Winter Olympics between 1924 and his 1960 retirement. He also presided over 29 FIBT Congresses. After his 1960 retirement, La Frégeolière was named FIBT Honorary President which he held until his death in 1981. He wrote ''Les sports d'hiver'' with Louis Magnus in 1911.

References

*"Bobsleigh and Olympism". ''Olympic Review.'' December 1984. p. 1014. 1886 births 1981 deaths French male bobsledders French male writers 20th-century French male writers {{France-bobsleigh-bio-stub