Spanish politician and businessman Samaranch Juan Antonio: biography, family and interesting facts

In the late seventies the Olympic movement was on the verge of collapse. Conducting the Games was unprofitable for the host country, and big cities were not eager to spend a lot of money on sports events. However, at the most critical moment, Juan Antonio Samaranch stood at the head of the International Olympic Committee. A supporter of the fascist dictator, world champion in hockey, a possible agent of the KGB, a marquis - the story of this man's life is written off from the pages of an adventure novel

Stormy youth

Samaranch Juan Antonio was born in 1920 in Barcelona in a rich family of textile manufacturers. The future head of the Olympic movement since childhood was friends with the sport and with great success was engaged in hockey. But, of course, not ice hockey, but its kind, where players instead of skates are chasing the site on rollers.

The beginning of the biography of Juan Samaranch coincided with the tragic and bloody pages in the life of Spain. In the thirties, a civil war broke out in the country, and soon an 18-year-old hockey player was drafted into the republican army. Juan Antonio Samaranch did not accept this invitation and fled to France. There he decided that he was closer to the ideas of the dictator Franco, and in a short time returned to his homeland, joining the phalanx of the sinister general.

The Republic came to an end, with the powerful military support of Germany, General Franco suppressed resistance, and Samaranch Juan Antonio decided to take up his education and entered the Barcelona business school.

Sporting feats

The native of Barcelona was a very versatile person, successfully combining several activities. Samaranch Juan Antonio did not leave the practice of roller-hockey, but also worked as a journalist in the sports newspaper La Prensa. An ardent fan of FC Barcelona, he could not help ignoring the deafening loss of his beloved team Madrid "Real" with a score of 11: 2. On the pages of his newspaper Samaranch came out with fierce criticism of the Madrid club, for which he was immediately fired.

After completing his career as a sports journalist, he plunged into the family business and achieved great success in the textile business.

However, Juan did not completely break with the sport. He continued to actively play in hockey, and after the end of an active career became a coach. It was with Samaranch the Spanish national team for the first time in history managed to win the title of world champions, beating the unbeaten Portuguese in 1951. The Pyrenees later became the strongest on the planet 15 times, and the future head of the IOC stood at the root of these victories.

Politician and sports official

Restless Spaniard did not confine himself to feats in the arenas and decided to try his hand at running the sport at the highest level. From 1955 to 1962 Samaranch Juan Antonio served as curator of the Barcelona municipal council for sports. Not without success he participated in political life in the whole of Spain. Ten years in a row, Samaranch met in the lower house of parliament. In 1966, he was appointed chairman of the National Olympic Committee.

However, everything comes to an end, and in 1977, General Franco dies, a long-time supporter of which was a native of Barcelona. The country was restored to democracy, and the former supporters of the dictator began to be expelled from the political life of the state. Do not escape this fate and Samaranch Juan Antonio.

He is appointed ambassador of Spain to the USSR, which practically meant a reference from the country. With the Soviet Union Spain only after the death of Franco restored diplomatic relations, and Juan Antonio Samaranch had a hard and ungrateful job of establishing relations with former enemies. However, he brilliantly coped with his work and for three years of diplomatic work he won many Russian friends and acquired a wide range of acquaintances. This even gave rise to the assertion of the numerous enemies of the Spaniard that he was enlisted in KGB agents during his diplomatic work in Moscow.

Ascent to the summit of Olympus

Despite all the troubles at home, Samaranch Juan Antonio continued to enjoy great authority in the IOC. In 1974, he became vice-president of the International Olympic Committee and was considered one of the most authoritative sports officials.

The fruits of his work were the diplomatic work of Samaranch. At the regular session of the IOC in Moscow, shortly before the start of the Olympics, he was elected to the post of president of this organization, ahead of Willie Daum from Germany. The Spaniard was elected largely thanks to the support of the USSR, which provided him with the votes of countries from the socialist camp.

Reformer

Samaranch had a difficult legacy from the previous leadership. IOC experienced serious financial difficulties, the Games were unprofitable, and the international Olympic movement was on the verge of collapse.

However, a skilled businessman made a real revolution in the world sports organization. He made the IOC autonomous financially, managed to arrange the sale of television rights to the broadcast of the Games, made proposals to expand the Olympic program of the competition. This led to the fact that the Olympics became successful economic projects, which brought profit to both the host country and the IOC.

Thanks to Samaranch, viewers could finally see the world's football stars at the Olympics, when in 1988 the conflict between the IOC and FIFA was resolved, and many famous players could take part in the Games in Seoul. It was during the Samaranch era that the US basketball team arrived at the basketball tournament, composed not of students but of NBA players.

Paradoxically, many detractors blame Samaranch for his services, blaming the excessive commercialization of the Games and the killing of the Olympic spirit. Nevertheless, the legendary sportsman with dignity performed his uneasy duties until 2001, after which he resigned, remaining lifelong honorary chairman of the IOC.

A family

In 1955, a politician and businessman married Maria Therese Salizax. For many years of marriage he became the father of two children. Samaranch Juan Antonio Jr. followed in the footsteps of his father and became a prominent sports official. He is a member of the National and International Olympic Committees, as well as Vice-President of the International Federation of Sports Pentathlon.

The title of Juan Antonio Samarancha is a marquis, but for the world Olympic movement he became a real emperor.