Germán Rieckehoff
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Germán Rieckehoff (February 5, 1915 – September 2, 1997) was a Nationalist and later President of Puerto Rican Olympic Committee.


Early years

Rieckehoff (birth name: Germán Rieckehoff Sampayo) was born in Vieques, Puerto Rico. He was raised in a homestead owned by his parents. His parents, who were descendants of
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
immigrants who settled in the island, were poor farmers (
Jíbaro Jivaro or Jibaro, also spelled Hivaro or Hibaro, may refer to: * Jíbaro (Puerto Rico), mountain-dwelling peasants in Puerto Rico * Jíbaro music, a Puerto Rican musical genre * Jivaroan peoples The Jivaroan peoples are the indigenous peoples ...
s) who provided him with his basic needs and a good education. A relative,
Carlos Vélez Rieckehoff Carlos Vélez Rieckehoff (November 18, 1907 – November 19, 2005) was the President of the New York chapter of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party in the 1930s. In the 1990s Rieckehoff was among the protesters against the United States Navy ...
, was an important leader of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party and he followed the cause of independence himself.El Juguete Sagrado: Germán Rieckehoff Sampayo Vida y leyenda
/ref> Rieckehoff was an athletic youth and when young he was an expert
swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...
. In 1947, Rieckehoff founded an association of Viequenses to fight the presence of the U.S. Navy on the island of Vieques. He enrolled at the
University of Puerto Rico School of Law The University of Puerto Rico School of Law is a law school in Puerto Rico. It is one of the professional graduate schools of University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus and the only law school in the University of Puerto Rico System. It ...
where he earned his law degree and also earned a bachelor's degree in commercial administration from the University of Minnesota. It was during his university years that he became involved with the Puerto Rican Olympic Committee, eventually becoming the president of the committee. He was a member of the
1966 Central American and Caribbean Games The 10th (X) Central American and Caribbean Games were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Ri ...
organizing committee.


Puerto Rican Olympic Committee

In 1980, the United States boycotted the Olympic Games in Moscow, Soviet Union, protesting the
Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
. Rieckehoff was against the boycott because he believed that politics should not get involved with sporting events. He was, therefore, denied economic support from the local government. Rieckehoff did however, manage to send one athlete to represent Puerto Rico. Alberto Mercado, became the only United States citizen to participate in the 1980 Olympics in the boxing event.El Estado de Puerto Rico decide asistir a los Juegos de Moscu
/ref>


The Barceló incident

In 1982, the Government of Puerto Rico, headed by then governor Carlos Romero Barceló, withheld economic support from the athletic delegation headed to Cuba, where the Central American and Caribbean Games were going to be held. The Puerto Rican Olympic Committee, under the leadership of Rieckehoff, had to appeal directly to the people for donations and were able to send the delegation.


The Albergue Olimpico (Olympic Hostel)

Rieckehoff oversaw the construction of the "Olympic Village" in
Carolina Carolina may refer to: Geography * The Carolinas, the U.S. states of North and South Carolina ** North Carolina, a U.S. state ** South Carolina, a U.S. state * Province of Carolina, a British province until 1712 * Carolina, Alabama, a town in ...
for the VIII Pan American Games, held in Puerto Rico in 1979 and he also oversaw the construction of the
Albergue Olímpico The Albergue Olímpico German Rieckehoff Sampayo or ''Olympic Hostel'' is an athletic training and recreational center located in Salinas, Puerto Rico. It is the most complete sports center in Puerto Rico used by professional athletes and by the ...
(Olympic Hostel) in Salinas. He donated the land for the establishment of the "Regional Development Center".


Later years

In the late 1980s, Rieckehoff traveled to Lausanne,
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, and at the International Olympic Committee headquarters, he requested that the 2004 Olympic Games be held in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He pointed out that the success of the Pan American Games held in the island had proved that Puerto Rico had the facilities capable of holding an event such as the Olympics. The committee took his request into consideration but, after some years of studying the situation, decided for Athens, Greece to hold the games instead.New York Times: Germán Rieckehoff, Former Olympic Official, 82
/ref> Rieckehoff indicated in a speech that he feared that sports professionals were gaining more control than the partisans of the Olympics. He also believed that the salaried professionals and administrators automatically thought that they knew what was best for the Olympics, when in reality the partisans were the ones with the proper knowledge. On September 2, 1997, Germán Rieckehoff was in Lausanne, Switzerland when he fell ill. He was rushed on an
ambulance plane Air medical services is a comprehensive term covering the use of air transportation, aeroplane or helicopter, to move patients to and from healthcare facilities and accident scenes. Personnel provide comprehensive prehospital and emergency and cri ...
with his wife, Irma Gonzalez, a sports leader in her own right, and son Germán, but died on the flight. His remains were returned to Puerto Rico, where he received a hero's funeral. He was survived by his wife, Irma, who died on May 3, 2006, their children, Angelita, Germán and Juan Adolfo Rieckehoff.


Honors and recognitions

In his honor, the Albergue Olympico ( Salinas, Puerto Rico) was renamed and is now known as the "Germán Rieckehoff Albergue Olympico", which also houses his gravesite, where his remains lie along with those of his wife. There is also a Germán Rieckehoff High School in Vieques and one in Virginia. On August 16, 2003, the Puerto Rican Legislature passed Law # 182 which established the "Germán Rieckehoff Sampayo Medal" of the Puerto Rican Legislative Assembly for excellence in sports. The medal is to be presented annually the sportsperson whose local or international accomplishments have helped keep the image of Puerto Rican sports among the best. Germán Rieckeoff Sampayo medal
/ref> Author Raul Mayo Santana wrote Rieckehoff's biography in a book titled ''El Juguete Sagrado: Germán Rieckehoff Sampayo Vida y leyenda''.


See also

* List of Puerto Ricans * German immigration to Puerto Rico *
Carlos Vélez Rieckehoff Carlos Vélez Rieckehoff (November 18, 1907 – November 19, 2005) was the President of the New York chapter of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party in the 1930s. In the 1990s Rieckehoff was among the protesters against the United States Navy ...


Notes

o Santana ; Publication Date: January 2000;


References


Further reading

* "El Juguete Sagrado: Germán Rieckehoff Sampayo Vida y leyenda"; Author: Raul May


External links


Germán Rieckeoff Sampayo medal


{{DEFAULTSORT:Rieckehoff, German 1915 births 1997 deaths Presidents of the Puerto Rico Olympic Committee Puerto Rican male swimmers Puerto Rican nationalists Puerto Rican independence activists Puerto Rican sports executives and administrators People from Vieques, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican people of German descent University of Minnesota alumni