Franjo Bučar (25 November 1866 – 26 December 1946) was a

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

n writer and sports popularizer. He is considered to be the father of Croatian sport and

olympism Olympism refers to the philosophy of the Olympic Games. The fundamental principles of Olympism are outlined in the Olympic Charter. Olympism is a philosophy that seeks to blend sport with culture, education, and international cooperation. It emph ...

. Bučar was born in Zagreb to Slovenian father Jožef (Josip) Bučar and

Croat The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

ian mother Franjica MikšićŽIVLJENJEPISI SLOVENCEV V HRVAŠKEM ŠPORTU
/ref> and educated in

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, and

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 ...

. 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 Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...

ice skating Ice skating is the Human-powered transport, self-propulsion and gliding of a person across an ice surface, using metal-bladed ice skates. People skate for various reasons, including recreation (fun), exercise, competitive sports, and commuting. ...

alpine skiing Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel Ski binding, bindings, unlike other types of skiing (Cross-country skiing, cross-country, Telemark skiing, Telemark, or ski jumping) ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

fencing Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fe ...

and others. He participated in the establishment of numerous clubs and professional alliances and also played a prominent role in the Croatian Sokol movement. 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 1914 Bučar was elected the first president of the Croatian Sports Federation, which he founded in 1909. The founder and president of the

Yugoslav Olympic Committee The Yugoslav Olympic Committee (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенски олимпијски комитет, Jugoslovenski olimpijski komitet, separator=" / "; ; ; also known by the acronym JOK) was the non-profit organization representing Yug ...

, which initially worked in Zagreb, he was a member of the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

from 1920 until his death in 1946. In 1991 the Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport, the highest award for exceptional achievements in the development of sport, was established in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bucar 1866 births 1946 deaths Writers from Zagreb Croatian people of Slovenian descent Croatian International Olympic Committee members Burials at Mirogoj Cemetery Writers from Austria-Hungary