Fritz Edvard Hansen (30 January 1855 – 11 November 1921) was a Danish lieutenant colonel and sports executive, who served as the 4th chairman of the Danish Sports Confederation (DIF) from 1901 until 1909. He successfully established a stable organizational structure for DIF, helping athletes connect with the broader international community through their participation in world competitions.

Military career

Born in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

on 30 January 1855, Hansen became a second lieutenant in 1869, at the age of 19, and seven years later, he was promoted to first lieutenant in the Artillery, advancing to captain in 1892, and eventually reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel before retiring in 1907.

Sporting career

In 1901, Hansen was appointed as the fourth chairman of the Danish Sports Confederation (replacing Niels V. Holbek), a position that he held for eight years, from 1901 until 1909, when he was replaced by Johan L. Nathansen. From this position, he was able to successfully stabilize DIF's organizational structure, and its athletes were connected with the broader international community through their participation in world competitions. Under his leadership, Prince Christian became its patron, thus raising DIF's reputation and prestige. In addition to his work at DIF, Hansen also co-founded and chaired the Danish Olympic Committee from 1905 until 1920, as well as the Danish Cyclist Association until 1909, and even founded the Nordic Sports Committee, which aimed to co-organize sports within the

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...

. In 1912, he replaced

Torben Grut Torben Grut (2 June 1871 - 24 December 1945) was a Swedish architect. Biography Torben Andreas Grut was born at Tuns parish in Skaraborg County, Sweden. Grut studied at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. From 1894, Grut was e ...

as the new Danish 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 ...

(IOC), a position that he held for nine years, until he died in 1921, being replaced by Ivar Nyholm.

Death and legacy

Hansen died in

Haderslev Haderslev (; ) is a Denmark, Danish town in the Region of Southern Denmark with a population of 22,405 (1 January 2025).Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...

, the Order of the Savior from

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, the Order of St. Anna from

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, and the Order of the Sword from

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forchhammer, Holger 1855 births 1921 deaths 19th-century Danish military officers Sportspeople from Copenhagen Danish football chairmen and investors Danish International Olympic Committee members Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog 20th-century Danish sportsmen