Kenneth Sandilands "Sandy" Duncan

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(26 April 1912 – 18 June 2005) was an English athlete who competed in the

1934 British Empire Games The 1934 British Empire Games were the second edition of what is now known as the Commonwealth Games, held in England, from 4–11 August 1934. The host city was London, with the main venue at Wembley Park, although the track cycling events wer ...

and in the

1938 British Empire Games The 1938 British Empire Games was the third British Empire Games, the event that evolved to become the Commonwealth Games. Held in Sydney, Australia from 5–12 February 1938, they were timed to coincide with Sydney's sesqui-centenary (150 ye ...

. He later became one of the most distinguished and sympathetic sports officials of his generation, as the long-serving general secretary of the British Olympic Association. For many years he was synonymous with the Olympic movement in Britain. Duncan was educated at

Malvern College Malvern College is an Independent school (United Kingdom), independent coeducational day and boarding school in Malvern, Worcestershire, Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It is a public school (United Kingdom), public school in the British sen ...

, where his ability at the long jump was quickly evident — he won the London Athletic Club’s schools championships with a record leap of 22 ft 5in. His prowess earned him a Blue in his first year at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, and he also won the 100 yards against Cambridge, as well as getting a football Blue. In the AAA championships he came in the top six in the long jump every year from 1932 to 1937, finishing second in 1934. He represented Britain in 1935 and, in July 1936, ran his fastest time of 9.8 seconds for the 100 yards, although a hamstring injury prevented him from being selected for the Olympics. In 1938, he was sixth in both the shot and discus. At the

1934 Empire Games The 1934 British Empire Games were the second edition of what is now known as the Commonwealth Games, held in England, from 4–11 August 1934. The host city was London, with the main venue at Wembley Park, although the track cycling events wer ...

he finished fourth in the long jump event. At the

, he was a member of the English relay team which won the silver medal in the 4×110 yards competition. In the long jump contest he finished tenth and in the 100 yards event he was eliminated in the heats. In indoor games, he won the British 70 metres dash in 1938. During the war he served in the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

and rose to the rank of

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. After the war Duncan taught at Bradfield and, having qualified as an AAA coach. His administrative career began in 1947 when he was made secretary of the Universities’ Athletic Union. This gave him the initial experience for his appointment, two years later, as general secretary at the British Olympic Association (BOA), the organisation responsible for the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

's participation in the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

. He held this post for 26 years, from 1949 to 1975 and served as ''chef de mission'' at 12 Olympics, summer and winter, from the 1952 Oslo and Helsinki games to Montreal in 1976. He was also honorary secretary of the Commonwealth Games Federation, supervising celebrations from Vancouver 1954 to Brisbane in 1982. He also served as secretary of the Achilles Club, for Oxford and Cambridge Blues, for 39 years. Duncan was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) in the

1950 Birthday Honours The King's Birthday Honours 1950 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate the o ...

and promoted to Officer of the same Order (OBE) in the

1974 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 1974 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were published on 7 June 1974 for ...

.UK list: Despite this, he was probably better recognised outside Britain than in his own country. In 1952, he was given the White Rose and Lion from Finland and the rare Olympic Award from the IOC in 1984.

External links

commonwealthgames.com resultsRootswebSandy Duncan's obituary in the Times

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan, Sandy 1912 births 2005 deaths Athletes (track and field) at the 1934 British Empire Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1938 British Empire Games Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics English male sprinters English male long jumpers People educated at Malvern College British Army personnel of World War II Royal Artillery officers Officers of the Order of the British Empire Medallists at the 1938 British Empire Games