Adolf Ogi (; born 18 July 1942) is a Swiss politician who most recently served as Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General on Sport for Development and Peace from 2001 to 2008. He previously served as member of the

Federal Council (Switzerland) The Federal Council is the federal Cabinet (government), cabinet of the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. Its seven members also serve as the collective head of state and Head of government, government of Switzerland. Since World War II, the F ...

for the

Swiss People's Party The Swiss People's Party (, SVP; , PPS), also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre (, UDC; , UDC), is a national-conservative and right-wing populist political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Marcel Dettling, it is the largest party in ...

from 1987 to 2000. He held the Presidency of the Swiss Confederation twice in 1993 and 2000. Between 1979 and 1987, Ogi represented the

Canton of Bern The canton of Bern, or Berne (; ; ; ), is one of the Canton of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the ''de facto'' capital of Switzerland. The bear is the heraldic symbol of the c ...

in the

National Council (Switzerland) The National Council (; ; ; ) is a house of the Federal Assembly (Switzerland), Federal Assembly of Switzerland, representing the people. The other house, Council of States (Switzerland), Council of States, represents the states, preventing mor ...

. He was among the rare examples of politicians in the Swiss parliament not having received a traditional

tertiary education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

. Ogi is also known for his significant achievements in the

Swiss Olympic Association The Swiss Olympic Association is the National Olympic Committee and the umbrella organisation for organised Swiss sport under private law. It has 104 members (81 national sports federations and 23 partner organisations), to which some two millio ...

serving as its president from 2001 to 2008. After leaving federal office he has been an advocate for peace building on a global scale.

Early life and education

Ogi was born 18 July 1942 in Kandersteg, Switzerland in the

Bernese Alps The Bernese Alps are a mountain range of the Alps located in western Switzerland. Although the name suggests that they are located in the Berner Oberland region of the canton of Bern, portions of the Bernese Alps are in the adjacent cantons of Va ...

, a son of Adolf Ogi, Sr., a

forester A forester is a person who practises forest management and forestry, the science, art, and profession of managing forests. Foresters engage in a broad range of activities including ecological restoration and management of protected areas. Fores ...

, mountain guide, skiing teacher and part-time municipal president, and Anna Ogi (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Wenger). After completion his primary education in Kandersteg, Ogi attended the ''École du Commerce'' in La Neuveville from 1958 to 1961 followed by an educational stay in the United Kingdom.

Political career

During his time in office, he was in charge of the following departments: * Federal Department of Transport, Communications and Energy (1988 – 1995) * Federal Military Department (from 1996), later named

Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports The Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS, , , , ) is one of the seven Ministry (government department), departments of the Switzerland, Swiss federal government. It is headed by a member of the Federal Council (Switze ...

(1998 – 2000) He was President of the Confederation twice in 1993 and 2000. From 2001 to 2008, Ogi was a ''Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace'' to the

United Nations Secretary-General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of ...

. Ogi is today an ambassador for

Peace and Sport Peace and Sport (also known as "L’Organisation pour la Paix par le Sport") is a sports organization based in Monaco under the patronage of Prince Albert II of Monaco. Ivorian Football player, footballer Didier Drogba became the organization's ...

, a

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

-based international organization, committed to serving peace in the world through sport. Ogi was awarded an honorary doctorate by the European University. Ogi released a biography entitled ''Dölf Ogi: Statesman and Sportsman''. Ogi received the Gold

Olympic Order The Olympic Order, established in 1975, is the highest award of the Olympic Movement. It is awarded for particularly distinguished contributions to the Olympic Movement, i.e. recognition of efforts worthy of merit in the cause of sport. Tradit ...

in the year 2000.

Personal life

In 1972, Ogi married Katharina "Katrin" Marti, a daughter of Hans Marti and Greti Marti (née Messer), innkeepers in Fraubrunnen. They had two children; a son and a daughter; * Mathias Adolf Ogi (1974-2009), a jurist and attorney, who died aged only 35 from a rare form of throat cancer. * Caroline Ogi (born 1975), a hotelier and restaurateur in

Crans-Montana Crans-Montana is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Sierre (district), Sierre in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Valais, Switzerland. On 1 January 2017 the former municipalities of Chermignon, Mollens, Valais, ...

. Ogi resides in

Geneva, Switzerland Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the capital of the Republic and Ca ...

References

External links

UN Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace
* *

Swiss Register of Corporations {{DEFAULTSORT:Ogi, Adolf 1942 births Living people Members of the Federal Council (Switzerland) Presidents of the Swiss Confederation Ministers of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications of Switzerland Defence ministers of Switzerland Swiss People's Party politicians Recipients of the Olympic Order People from Frutigen-Niedersimmental District Swiss Protestants 20th-century Swiss politicians 21st-century Swiss politicians