Paul Eugène Albert Anspach (1 April 1882 – 28 August 1981) was a Belgian épée and foil fencer who competed in four consecutive Olympics (1908, 1912, 1920 and 1924). His grand-uncle, Jules Anspach (1829-1879), was Brussels burgomaster.

Early life

Paul Anspach began his athletic career as a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player. He was a member of the Anspach family. He died in his sleep in Brussels, Belgium on 28 August 1981.

Fencing career

Olympics

Anspach was captain of the Belgian épée team from 1909 to 1928. At the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were ori ...

, he won a

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

in the team épée event and placed 5th overall in individual épée. In the sabre competition, he was stopped in the 2nd round. At the

1912 Summer Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, be ...

, he captured

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

s in both the individual and team épée competitions. In the individual event, he won 6 of his 7 matches. He finished in 12th place in the individual foil event. The Olympics were not held in 1916 because of World War I. At the

1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Zomerspelen van 1920; german: Olympische Sommerspiele 1920), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIe olympiade; nl, Spelen van ...

, Anspach won a silver medal in the team épée competition. In the

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIIe olympiade) and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The op ...

, he won a silver medal in team épée and finished 9th overall in individual épée. In 1951 Anspach became the first recipient of the ''Taher Pacha Trophy'' (founded in 1950 by H.E. Mohammed Taher Pacha, member of the IOC for Egypt. It is to be awarded annually by the IOC to an Athlete whose "general merit and career justify the award of a special distinction in the name of Olympism.") In 1976 Anspach was awarded the Silver Medal of the Olympic Order. For the

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...

in Montreal, the ''Comités d'organisation des Jeux Olympiques'' (COJO) invited Anspach to take part in the ceremony for the transmission of the Flame from Athens to

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. His doctors felt that the journey from Brussels to Athens and back would be too tiring for the ninety-year-old Belgian, who said he was "honored and moved by this very special invitation".

Belgian Olympic Committee and International Fencing Association

He contributed to the formation of the

Belgian Olympic Committee The Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee ( nl, Belgisch Olympisch en Interfederaal Comité, french: Comité Olympique et Interfédéral Belge), abbreviated BOIC or COIB, is the National Olympic Committee for Belgium. The administrative s ...

in 1906. In 1913 he was one of the founders of the Fédération Internationale d'Escrime (International Fencing Association, or FIE). He served as its Secretary-General, before serving as its President from 1932 until 1939 (when it was suspended for the duration of World War II), and then from 1946 until 1950. In 1914 he sat as Secretary at the Paris Olympic Congress, where he dealt with the technical side of the Congress. In 1914, along with the Marquess of Chasseloup-Laubat he drew up the rules for Fencing as an Olympic sport.

References

External links

Olympic record
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anspach, Paul 1882 births 1981 deaths Belgian male fencers Belgian épée fencers Belgian foil fencers Jewish male épée fencers Jewish male foil fencers Jewish male sabre fencers Jewish Belgian sportspeople Olympic fencers of Belgium Fencers at the 1908 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1912 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1920 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1924 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Belgium Olympic silver medalists for Belgium Olympic bronze medalists for Belgium Olympic medalists in fencing Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1912 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1920 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1924 Summer Olympics Recipients of the Olympic Order Sportspeople from Brussels