Victor Boin (28 February 1886 – 31 March 1974) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

freestyle

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 ...

water polo Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the ...

player, and

épée The ( or , ), sometimes spelled epee in English, is the largest and heaviest of the three weapons used in the sport of fencing. The modern derives from the 19th-century , a weapon which itself derives from the French small sword. This contains ...

fencer who competed at the

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 46 ...

1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ...

and

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 ...

Olympics

Boin was part of the Belgian water polo teams that finished second in 1908 and third in 1912. In 1908 he also participated in the 100 metre freestyle swimming competition, but was eliminated in the first round. As a fencer he finished fourth in the individual épée competition in 1912. In 1920 he was eliminated in the first round of the individual épée event, but won a silver medal in the team épée event. Victor Boin 1920

Boin took the first ever

Olympic Oath The Olympic Oath (distinct from the Olympic creed) is a solemn promise made by one athlete, judge or official, and one coach at the Opening Ceremony of each Olympic Games. Each oath taker is from the host nation and takes the oath on behalf of al ...

at the 1920 Games in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, where he was also the Belgium flag bearer at the Opening Ceremony. Later, between 1955 and 1965, he served as president 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 ...

Other activities

Boin was also active in

ice skating Ice skating is the self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. Ice skating may be per ...

, flying,

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

, and

motorcycle racing Motorcycle racing (also called moto racing and motorbike racing) is the motorcycle sport of racing motorcycles. Major varieties include motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. Ot ...

. In 1903, aged 17, he founded the first Belgian ice hockey club and became its first president. Boin worked as a sports journalist, theater critic and sports official. In 1912 he founded the Belgian Professional Association of Sports Journalists, and headed it from 1923 to 1935. In 1924 he co-founded the International Sports Journalists' Association; he served as its first vice-president, and later became its president. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he joined the Belgian Air Force, eventually becoming the personal pilot of Queen Elisabeth.

References

Bibliography

* * Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2008). ''The Complete Book of the Olympics - 2008 Edition''. London: Aurum Press, Limited. pp. 607, 1050.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Boin, Victor 1886 births 1974 deaths Sportspeople from Brussels Belgian sports journalists Belgian male freestyle swimmers Belgian male water polo players Belgian male fencers Belgian épée fencers Swimmers at the 1908 Summer Olympics Water polo players at the 1908 Summer Olympics Water polo players at the 1912 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1912 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1920 Summer Olympics Olympic swimmers of Belgium Olympic water polo players of Belgium Olympic fencers of Belgium Olympic silver medalists for Belgium Olympic bronze medalists for Belgium Olympic medalists in fencing Olympic medalists in water polo Medalists at the 1908 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1912 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1920 Summer Olympics Oath takers at the Olympic Games 20th-century Belgian people

Olympics

Other activities

See also

References

Bibliography

External links