André du Pon (30 August 1924, in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
– 24 May 2006, in
Medemblik) was a
sailor
A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. While the term ''sailor'' ...
from the Netherlands] who was three times chef d'équipe for the Dutch Olympic Sailing team. Du Pon led his teams during the
Sailing at the 1976 Summer Olympics, 1976 Olympics in
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. It is at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River, the south end of the Rideau Canal. Kingston is near the Thousand Islands, ...
, the
1984 Olympics in
Long Beach
Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
and the
1988 Olympics in
Pusan.
After sailing the
Finn Du Pon was also one of the first
Soling
The Soling is an Keelboat, open keelboat that holds the World Sailing "International class" status. The class was used from the Sailing at the 1972 Summer Olympics, 1972 Olympics until the Sailing at the 2000 Summer Olympics, 2000 Olympics as "Sa ...
sailors of the Netherlands. He owned the Soling H 4.
Controversy
During the selection for the
Dutch Olympic Sailing Team for the
Sailing at the 1976 Summer Olympics, 1976 Olympics a controversy emerged between twelve sailors and the
selection committee chaired by
Du Pon. This discussion focussed on the role of
Frieda Vollebergt
Frida, Frieda, or Freida may refer to:
People and fictional characters
*Frida (given name), any of several people or characters
**
* Frieda (surname), any of several people or characters
* Afroditi Frida (born 1964), Greek singer
*Frida (singe ...
who did the communication for the sailing team. As mother of
Erik Vollebregt,
Sjoerd Vollebregt
Sjoerd Steven Vollebregt (born 10 December 1954, in Leiden) is a sailing (sport), sailor from the Netherlands who represented his native country at the Sailing at the 1976 Summer Olympics – Flying Dutchman, 1976 Summer Olympics in Kingston, On ...
and
Peter Vollebregt – all three candidates for the 1976 Olympic sailing event – she was accused of having a
bias
Bias is a disproportionate weight ''in favor of'' or ''against'' an idea or thing, usually in a way that is inaccurate, closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. Biases can be innate or learned. People may develop biases for or against an individ ...
towards her children in the communication. In the end
Fred Imhoff
Ferdinand "Fred" Helmuth Imhoff (born 15 February 1942 in The Hague) is a sailor from the Netherlands, who represented his country at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Kiel, Germany as helmsman in the Flying Dutchman ''Brave Henderik IV'' (H-230). Wit ...
and
Heike Blok
Heike may refer to:
* Heike (name), a (not exclusively) feminine given name and a surname
* Taira clan
The was one of the four most important Japanese clans, clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period, Heian period of Hi ...
lost the
lawsuit
A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today ...
and were removed from the 1976 selection.
Political career
Du Pon was in the period 1990 – 1998 and from 2002 – 2006
alderman
An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...
for the liberal party
VVD in Medemblik. During those periods he held several times the position of
deputy mayor.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pon, Andre du
1924 births
2006 deaths
Sailors (sport) from Amsterdam
Dutch male sailors (sport)
Soling class sailors
Dutch referees and umpires
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy politicians
Politicians from Amsterdam
Sportsperson-politicians
20th-century Dutch sportsmen