Vyacheslav Izmailovich Sreznevsky (russian: Вячеслав Измайлович Срезневский; 3 October 1849 – 29 June 1937) was a Russian philologist, photographer and sports executive. Chairman of the
Russian Olympic Committee
The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC; russian: Олимпийский комитет России (ОКР), Olimpiyskiy komitet Rossii (OKR); Full name: All-Russian united social union "Olympic Committee of Russia", russian: Общероссий ...
(1911–1918), founder and chairman of the Saint Petersburg Society of Ice Skating Amateurs (1877–1923).
Biography
Vyacheslav Sreznevsky was born in 1849 in Saint Petersburg to a family of a philologist Izmail Ivanovich Sreznevsky (1812–1880) and his wife Yelizaveta Fyodorovna, née Tyurina, a daughter of a maths teacher from
Kharkov
Kharkiv ( uk, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine.
. Vyacheslav had three brothers and four sisters.
In 1870 Sreznevsky graduated from the Faculty of History and Philology of
Saint Petersburg Imperial University
Saint Petersburg Imperial University (russian: Санкт-Петербургский Императорский университет) was a Russian higher education institution based in Saint Petersburg, one of the twelve Imperial universities ...
. In 1878–81, he lectured there on the Russian language history and
Church Slavonic
Church Slavonic (, , literally "Church-Slavonic language"), also known as Church Slavic, New Church Slavonic or New Church Slavic, is the conservative Slavic liturgical language used by the Eastern Orthodox Church in Belarus, Bosnia and Herzeg ...
grammar. He was also a teacher of Russian language and literature in the St. Petersburg 2nd ''
realschule
''Realschule'' () is a type of secondary school in Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia (''realna gimnazija''), the Austrian Empire, the German Empire, Denmark and Norway (''realskole''), Sweden (''realskola''), ...
'' and the Imperial Alexander Lyceum.
Sreznevsky was an amateur photographer from a young age. In 1882 he invented a special weather-resistant camera for
Nikolay Przhevalsky
Nikolay Mikhaylovich Przhevalsky (or Prjevalsky;; pl, Nikołaj Przewalski, . – ) was a Russian geographer of Polish descent (he was born in a Polish noble family), and a renowned explorer of Central and East Asia.
Although he never reache ...
's expeditions to Central Asia. Since 1878, Sreznevsky took an active part in the
Russian Technical Society
The Russian Technical Society (RTS) was founded as the Imperial Russian Technical Society (IRTS) in 1866 bringing together scientists, engineers, and others in order to promote technological development. It was by the government Ministries of Educa ...
: he was the founder of its photographic department, and led it until 1916. From June 1880, he was the editor of the ''Photograph'' magazine. In 1881–84 Sreznevsky published the first Russian reference book on photography.
Sreznevsky contributed to the development of bandy, speed skating and other sports in Russia. On 16 March 1911 he was elected the first chairman of the
Russian Olympic Committee
The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC; russian: Олимпийский комитет России (ОКР), Olimpiyskiy komitet Rossii (OKR); Full name: All-Russian united social union "Olympic Committee of Russia", russian: Общероссий ...
. He helped organize the 1896 and 1903 World Figure Skating Championships in Saint Petersburg, as well as the 1913
European Speed Skating Championships The European Speed Skating Championships are a series of long track speed skating events held annually to determine the best allround speed skater of Europe.
History
The International Skating Union
The International Skating Union (ISU) is the ...
.
After the October Revolution of 1917, Sreznevsky took part in
Vsevobuch
Vsevobuch ( rus, всевобуч, p=fsʲɪˈvobʊtɕ), a portmanteau for "Universal Military Training" ( rus, всеобщее военное обучение, r=vseobshcheye voyennoye obucheniye), was a system of compulsory military training for ...
. He became one of the founders and teachers of the Higher Institute of Photography and Phototechnics (now the Saint Petersburg State Institute of Film and Television). He died in Leningrad at the age of 87, and was buried at the
Smolensky Cemetery
Smolensky Cemetery () is the oldest continuously operating cemetery in Saint Petersburg, Russia.