Gösta Gärdin (28 May 1923 – 12 December 2015) was a

Swedish Army The Swedish Army () is the army, land force of the Swedish Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. Beginning with its service in 1521, the Swedish Army has been active for more than 500 years. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1 ...

officer and modern pentathlete who won a bronze medal at the

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

Career

Gärdin was born on 28 May 1923 in

Linköping Linköping ( , ) is a city in southern Sweden, with around 167,000 inhabitants as of 2024. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Chu ...

, 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 (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 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 (), 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 Svealand, and it was also gar ...

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

Military Academy Karlberg Military Academy 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 Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urb ...

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 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 Urban areas in Sweden, 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 o ...

. The funeral service took place at Gustaf Adolf Church in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

on 22 January 2016.

Dates of rank

*1944 – Second lieutenant *1946 –

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

*1956 –

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

*1962 –

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

*1965 – Lieutenant colonel *1969 –

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...

*1976 –

Senior colonel __NOTOC__ Senior colonel is an officer rank usually placed between a regular colonel and a British brigadier or American brigadier general. Use Most western militaries tend to equate a senior colonel as being on the level of a "brigadier general ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardin, Gosta 1923 births 2015 deaths Swedish Army colonels Sportspeople from Linköping Swedish male modern pentathletes Olympic modern pentathletes for Sweden Modern pentathletes at the 1948 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for Sweden Olympic medalists in modern pentathlon Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics 20th-century Swedish sportsmen