François Étienne "Frantz" Reichel (16 March 1871 – 24 March 1932) was a French sports administrator, athlete, cyclist and journalist. He competed at the

1896 Summer Olympics The 1896 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 1896, Therinoí Olympiakoí Agónes 1896), officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 1ης Ολυμπιάδας, Agónes tis 1is Ol ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

as a runner and at the

1900 Summer Olympics The 1900 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1900, link=no), today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad () and also known as Paris 1900, were an international multi-sport event that took place in Paris, France, from 1 ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

as a

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player. He co-founded the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive (AIPS), and served as its first president in 1924–1932.Frantz Reichel
. Sports Reference.com

Biography

Reichel's father was the treasurer of the French Union of Athletic Sports Societies (USFSA) and the chief press officer at the 1894 Sorbonne Congress, where the Olympic Movement was founded. He later succeeded

Pierre de Coubertin Charles Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin (; born Pierre de Frédy; ...

as secretary-general of the USFSA. His son was a talented runner, who won French titles in the 110 m hurdles (1891), cross country (1890 and 1891) and 1 km walking. In 1892 he set a national record in one-hour run at 16.611 km. At the 1896 Olympics he failed to reach the 400 m final. It is unclear whether he placed second or third in the preliminary round of the 110 metres

hurdles Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today, ...

. He did not run in the final anyway, as he was busy assisting

Albin Lermusiaux Albin Georges Lermusiaux (9 August 1874 – 20 January 1940) was a French athlete and shooting sports, sport shooter who competed at the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens. Career In total Lermusiaux competed in four different events at the 1896 Su ...

in conducting the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

race. At those Games, besides running, Reichel also worked as a journalist for the French magazine ''Vélo''. At the 1900 Olympics Reichel competed in rugby and won a gold medal with the French team. He was later selected as the captain of the French rugby team in an international match in 1906. Reichel was a highly respected rugby player in France, and after his death a championship for young rugby players, Championnat Reichel, was established in his honour. Later in life Reichel became a sports administrator and the secretary general of the USFSA. He also founded the

French Boxing Federation The French Boxing Federation french: Fédération Française de Boxe or FFB) is the governing body of both amateur and professional boxing in France. Presidents Emile Grémaux was the President of FFB for a long time. Martin André is the cur ...

and the Fédération Internationale de Hockey (FIH), serving as its president from 1926 to 1932. He was also a member of the

French National Olympic and Sports Committee The French National Olympic and Sports Committee (french: Comité national olympique et sportif français, CNOSF) is the National Olympic Committee of France. It is responsible for France's participation in the Olympic Games, as well as for all ...

and headed the organizing committee of the 1924 Paris Olympics. Reichel remained active as a journalist, and became the first European journalist to fly an airplane, assisting Wilbur Wright in his distance record for flights with a passenger. He co-founded the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive (International Sports Press Association) and served as its first president from 1924 until his death in 1932.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reichel, Frantz Olympic athletes for France Olympic rugby union players for France Athletes (track and field) at the 1896 Summer Olympics 19th-century sportsmen Rugby union players at the 1900 Summer Olympics French male sprinters 1871 births 1932 deaths Athletes from Paris Olympic gold medalists for France Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Medalists at the 1900 Summer Olympics Presidents of the French Rugby Federation French sports executives and administrators