Godefroy Jean Henri Louis de Blonay (25 July 1869, Niederschöntal, Switzerland – 14 February 1937,

Biskra Biskra ( ar, بسكرة ; ; Latin Vescera) is the capital city of Biskra Province, Algeria. In 2007, its population was recorded as 307,987. Biskra is located in northeastern Algeria, about 248 miles (400 km) from Algiers, 71 miles (115&n ...

, French Algeria) was an important early member of the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...

Career

From 1899 he was the first Swiss member on the

(IOC). He was to be on the committee for 38 years until his death in 1937, being the 24th on the roll of members since 1884;

Pierre de Coubertin Charles Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin (; born Pierre de Frédy; ...

is number one. In 1912 de Blonay was one of the founders of the

Swiss Olympic Association Swiss Olympic (also known as german: Schweizerischer Olympischer Verband, french: Association Olympique Suisse, it, Associazione Olimpica Svizzera, rm, Assiociaziun Olimpica Svizra) is the National Olympic Committee and the umbrella organisati ...

and from 1912 to 1915 he was its first president. Baron de Blonay was for a time one of the closest confidants of the IOC's second president

Pierre de Coubertin Charles Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin (; born Pierre de Frédy; ...

. When de Coubertin joined the French army in 1916 de Blonay became acting president of the IOC. Earlier, when de Coubertin nearly ran out of money and took a back seat, de Blonay had been appointed to run an International Olympic executive committee, in lieu of the president. However, it has been suggested that he upset de Coubertin by over-stretching the powers of this committee and it was this that may have caused him not to have been chosen to succeed as the third IOC

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

in 1925.

Wife and family

In Neuchâtel on 24 September 1901 he married Elisabeth Sophie de Salis ( Neuchâtel, 21 May 1880 - 30 March 1967). She was the only surviving child of Count Peter de Salis (second son of Peter, 5th Count de Salis-Soglio) by his second wife Agnes Louisa La Trobe (d. 5 May 1916, ''ebendort''), daughter of Governor Charles Joseph La Trobe, CB, by his wife Sophie de Montmollin. They had four children and lived at the château de

Grandson Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Vaud Vaud ( ; french: (Canton de) Vaud, ; german: (Kanton) Waadt, or ), more formally the canton of Vaud, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of ten districts and its capital city is Lausanne. Its coat of arms b ...

, near Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland.

References

*''The Official History of the Olympic Games and the IOC: Athens to Beijing, 1894–2008'', by David Miller, 2008. {{DEFAULTSORT:Blonay, Godefroy de 1869 births 1937 deaths International Olympic Committee members Swiss nobility Presidents of the International Olympic Committee People from Basel-Landschaft