Franjo Bučar
Franjo Bučar (Zagreb, 25 November 1866 – Zagreb, 26 December 1946) was a Croatian writer and sports popularizer of Slovenian origin. He is considered to be the father of Croatian sport and olympism.[1]
Bučar was born to Slovenian father and Croatian mother[2] and educated in Zagreb, Vienna, and Stockholm. He worked on a study of Croatian literature and also wrote about Scandinavian literature. He was a prominent sports writer and wrote manuals for many types of sports. He was the popularizer and initiator of introduction of many sports in Croatia – football, gymnastics, ice skating, alpine skiing, ice hockey, fencing and others.[3]
He participated in the establishment of numerous clubs and professional alliances and also played a prominent role in Sokol organization.[4] He left an extensive correspondence with major figures of European culture and sport and created a library of several thousand volumes. He received national and international awards. In 1909 Bučar was elected the first president of the Croatian Sports Federation, which he founded.
The founder and president of the Yugoslav Olympic Committee, which initially worked in Zagreb, he was a member of the International Olympic Committee from 1920 until his death in 1946.[5]
In 1991 the Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport, the highest award for exceptional achievements in the development of sport, was established in Croatia.
References
- ↑ "Dobitnici nagrade Franjo Bučar za 2008.". 16 October 2008. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
- ↑ ŽIVLJENJEPISI SLOVENCEV V HRVAŠKEM ŠPORTU
- ↑ "Tko je bio Franjo Bučar?". 12 February 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2009.
- ↑ Jajčević, Zdenko (December 2004). "STO GODINA HRVATSKOG GIMNASTIČKOG SAVEZA 1904–2004". Retrieved 26 February 2009.
- ↑ Salaj, Branko (6 April 2007). "Franjo Bučar (1866-1946)". Retrieved 26 February 2009.
| Preceded by Nikodije Stevanović |
President of the Yugoslav Olympic Committee 1919–1927 |
Succeeded by Dušan Stefanović |