Eric Leme Walther Maleson is Brazil’s first Olympic Bobsled pilot and Curler. He is considered the father of ice sports in Brazil. He is also the founder and former President of the Brazilian Ice Sports Federation (CBDG). He was born in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. Maleson competed at the

2002 Winter Olympic Games The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), was an internationa ...

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

(4-man bobsled event), has served on the

International Luge Federation The International Luge Federation ( French: Fédération Internationale de Luge de Course (FIL); German: Internationaler Rennrodelverband) is the main international federation for all luge sports. Founded by 13 nations at Davos, Switzerland in ...

(FIL) Development Committee (2002–2006), and was also a member of the

International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation 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 ...

's (IBSF) Court of Arbitration (2006–2010). Maleson was voted one of the top ten most influential sports figures in Brazil (2002) and was the first Brazilian athlete to carry the Olympic Torch during the Salt Lake City torch relay event in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA (December 2001). In September 2010, Maleson was elected Vice President of Communications of the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation, becoming the first South American elected to the Board of an International Winter Olympic Federation. He won three career bronze medals at Americas Cup bobsled races (2000, 2001). The Brazilian Post Service issued a Bobsled stamp to celebrate the historic first Olympic qualification.

External links

A Curling Team Proves Not All Brazilian Sweepers Play Soccer

Eric Maleson to carry Olympic Torch

International Olympic Committee Results

Eric Walther Maleson of Brazil was voted onto the IBSF board as vice president of communications

Patriot Ledger, South Shore Olympic athletes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maleson, Eric 1967 births Living people Bobsledders at the 2002 Winter Olympics Brazilian male bobsledders Brazilian people of Belgian descent Olympic bobsledders for Brazil Sportspeople from Rio de Janeiro (city) Brazilian people of German descent