Gösta Gärdin (28 May 1923 – 12 December 2015) was a Swedish Army officer and

modern pentathlete The modern pentathlon is an Olympic sport consisting of fencing (one-touch épée), freestyle swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting, and cross country running. The event is inspired by the traditional pentathlon held during the anc ...

who won a bronze medal at the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...

Career

Gärdin was born on 28 May 1923 in

Linköping Linköping () is a city in southern Sweden, with around 105,000 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Church ...

, Sweden, the son of colonel Georg Gärdin and his wife Märta (née Wästfelt). He was commissioned as an officer in 1944 and was assigned as a second lieutenant to

Småland Artillery Regiment The Småland Artillery Regiment ( sv, Smålands artilleriregemente), designation A 6, was a Swedish Army artillery regiment raised in 1895. It was disbanded in 1985. The regiment was based in Jönköping. Locations and training areas Barracks ...

(A 6) the same year. Gärdin completed the Artillery and Engineering College's higher course from 1949 to 1951. Gärdin became captain in the

General Staff Corps General Staff Corps ( sv, Generalstabskåren, Gst) was an administrative corps within the Swedish Armed Forces between 1937 and 1990 and consisted of Swedish Army officers chosen for duty in the Defence Staff and Army Staff. It replaced the earli ...

in 1956 and major in Boden Artillery Regiment (A 8) in 1962. He was appointed lieutenant colonel in the General Staff Corps in 1965 and was lieutenant colonel in

Svea Artillery Regiment The Svea Artillery Regiment ( sv, Svea artilleriregemente), designation A 1, was a Swedish Army artillery regiment that traced its origins back to the 17th century. It was disbanded in 1997. The regiment's soldiers were originally recruited from S ...

(A 1) 1967. Gärdin was promoted to colonel in 1969 and became head of the

Military Academy Karlberg Military Academy Karlberg ( sv, Militärhögskolan Karlberg, MHS K) is a Swedish military academy, since its inauguration in 1792 in operation in the Karlberg Palace in Solna, just north of central Stockholm. It is thus the oldest military acad ...

which he was until 1973 when he became the commander of Småland Artillery Regiment (A 6). Gärdin was promoted to senior colonel in 1976 and served as Inspector of the Artillery and Army Aviation in the Army Staff from 1976 to 1983.

Other work

Gärdin was adjutant of His Majesty the King from 1965 to 1969 and was chief adjutant from 1969. He was Sweden's Military Sports Federation's leader of modern pentathlon from 1972 to 1984, chairman of its Executive Committee from 1978 to 1983 and secretary general from 1983 to 1996. Gärdin was also a member of the Executive Committee of the

International Military Sports Council The International Military Sports Council (IMSC) or Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM), is an international sports association, established in 1948 and headquartered in Brussels. It is the world's second-largest multi-discipline sport ...

from 1980 to 1981. Gärdin was a board member of the Swedish Olympic Committee from 1984 to 1996. He was chairman of the Swedish Olympic Academy from 1989 to 2000. Gärdin joined to the ''Riksidrottens vänner'' (Friends of the National Sports) in 1979 and became its chairman in 1989, a position he held for 14 years. He resigned at the annual meeting in 2001 and was then elected honorary chairman. Meanwhile, the scholarship Gösta Gärding's Youth Fund (''Gösta Gärdins Ungdomsfond'') was established for "a male or female sports leaders, who for many years successfully engaged in youth activities and particularly promoted the understanding of fair play and joy of sport."

Personal life

In 1946 he married Margit Engman (born 1923), daughter of the factory manager Gunnar Engman and Märta (née Johansson).

Death

Gärdin died on 12 December 2015 in

Jönköping Jönköping (, ) is a city in southern Sweden with 112,766 inhabitants (2022). Jönköping is situated on the southern shore of Sweden's second largest lake, Vättern, in the province of Småland. The city is the seat of Jönköping Municipa ...

. The funeral service took place at Gustaf Adolf Church in Stockholm on 22 January 2016.

Dates of rank

*1944 – Second lieutenant *1946 –

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

*1956 – Captain *1962 – Major *1965 – Lieutenant colonel *1969 –

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

*1976 – Senior colonel

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardin, Gosta 1923 births 2015 deaths Swedish Army colonels Sportspeople from Linköping Swedish male modern pentathletes Olympic modern pentathletes of Sweden Modern pentathletes at the 1948 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for Sweden Olympic medalists in modern pentathlon Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics