Olaf Christian Ditlev-Simonsen Jr. (2 January 1897 – 19 February 1978) was a Norwegian sailor, footballer, sports administrator and businessperson.

Early and personal life

He was born in

Dypvåg Dypvåg is a former municipality in the old Aust-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1960 when it was merged into the present-day municipality of Tvedestrand is List of municipalities of Nor ...

to ship-owner Olaf Ditlev-Simonsen (1865–1960) and Magdalena Pedersen (1873–1920). He had eight siblings. The family moved to

Kristiania Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022, an ...

in 1902, and he joined the family's company (John P. Pedersen & Søn) after finishing Kristiania Commerce School in 1917. He was a brother of

John Ditlev-Simonsen John Peder Ditlev-Simonsen (18 October 1898 – 10 January 2001) was a Norwegian sailor who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics. In 1936 he won the silver medal as crew member of the Norwegian boat ''Silja'' in the 8 metre class event. During ...

and uncle to both Halfdan Ditlev-Simonsen Jr. and

Per Ditlev-Simonsen Per Ditlev-Simonsen (born 12 June 1932) is a Norwegian politician. He was the mayor of Oslo, representing the Conservative Party, from 1995 to 2007. He stepped down on 23 August 2007 following the Swiss bank-account scandal. Ditlev-Simonsen was ...

. In 1920 he married Else Heyerdahl (1899–1985), and had Hieronymus Heyerdahl as a father-in-law. He died in January 1978 in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

Sports career

Olaf Ditlev-Simonsen practised different sports in the club

IF Ready Idrettsforeningen Ready is a sports club in Vestre Aker, Oslo, Norway. The club was established on June 14, 1907 by Aage Blom Lorentzen. Overview The football club play their home games at Gressbanen in Oslo. Gressbanen was the arena for the N ...

, and, partly together with his four brothers, he won several Norwegian championships in

bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two team sport, teams wearing Ice skates#Bandy skates, ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The playin ...

. Olaf Ditlev-Simonsen's first national title came in 1913, and the last in 1927. He played two matches for the

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

. He was also capped five times for the

Norway national football team The Norway national football team (, or informally ''Landslaget'') represents Norway in men's international Association football, football, and is controlled by the Norwegian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Norway. Norwa ...

, the first in 1915. He also competed in yacht racing. At the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...

he won the silver medal as crew member of the Norwegian boat ''Silja'' in the 8 metre event. He had taken his first King's Cup in Norway with that boat in 1930. He was a board member of the

Norwegian Tennis Federation Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *Norwegian language, including the two ...

from 1918 to 1919 and of the

Football Association of Norway The Norwegian Football Federation (, ; NFF) is the governing body of football (soccer), football in Norway. It was formed in 1902 and organises the Norway national football team, men's and Norway women's national football team, women's national te ...

for four years, chaired IF Ready from 1923 to 1927 and the

Royal Norwegian Yacht Club The Royal Norwegian Yacht Club (, KNS) is a yacht club in Oslo, Norway. The club was founded in 1883 as country-wide organisation with affiliated local yacht clubs. In 1884, it was granted the right for members to fly the naval Ensign (flag), ...

from 1947 to 1949. From 1948 to 1966 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 ...

, and he headed the organizational committee at the

1952 Winter Olympics The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games (; ) and commonly known as Oslo 1952, were a winter multi-sport event held from 14 to 25 February 1952 in Oslo, the capital of Norway. Discussions about Oslo hosting ...

. In the IOC he took over for Thomas Fearnley, following tradition since 1905 that Norway must have one IOC member at any time.

Shipping and the Second World War

In shipping, he started his own company in 1936. He was a board member of the

Norwegian Shipowners' Association The Norwegian Shipowners Association () is an employers' organization and interest group for Norwegian shipping and offshore companies. The organization's primary fields are national and international industry policies, employer issues, competen ...

for some time, and during the Second World War he worked in Sweden, from 1943 as regional head of

Nortraship The Norwegian Shipping and Trade Mission (Nortraship) was established in London in April 1940 to administer the Norwegian merchant fleet outside German-controlled areas. Nortraship operated some 1,000 vessels and was the largest shipping compan ...

. From 1945 to 1949 he chaired the supervisory council of

Det Norske Veritas Det Norske Veritas (DNV), formerly DNV GL, is an international accredited registrar and classification society headquartered in Høvik, Norway. DNV provides services for several industries, including maritime, oil and gas, renewable energy, e ...

. Ditlev-Simonsen was amongst a number of prominent Norwegians arrested as hostages by the Germans during their

occupation of Norway The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until th ...

. Following his arrest he was transferred to

Grini concentration camp Grini prison camp (, ) was a Nazi concentration camp in Bærum, Norway, which operated between 1941 and May 1945. Ila Detention and Security Prison is now located here. History Grini was originally built as a women's prison, near an old croft ...

on 13 January 1942 and given prisoner number 1274, being released on 21 September 1942. His brother John was also arrested and held as a hostage by the Germans. He was decorated with the

King's Medal of Merit in gold The King's Medal of Merit (Norwegian: ''Kongens fortjenstmedalje'') is a Norwegian award. It was instituted in 1908 to reward meritorious achievements in the fields of art, science, business, and public service. It is divided in two classes: gold ...

in 1947 and was a Commander of the

Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

(1952), the

Order of the Lion of Finland Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

, the

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry founded on 29 May 1772 by Gustav III, King Gustav III. It is awarded to Swedish citizens for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. His ...

, the

Order of the Polar Star The Royal Order of the Polar Star (Swedish language, Swedish: ''Kungliga Nordstjärneorden''), sometimes translated as the Royal Order of the North Star, is a Swedish order of chivalry created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 F ...

, the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...

and the

Order of Orange-Nassau The Order of Orange-Nassau () is a civil and military Dutch order of chivalry founded on 4 April 1892 by the queen regent, Emma of the Netherlands. The order is a chivalric order open to "everyone who has performed acts of special merits for ...

. He was a Knight of the

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 ...

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ditlev-Simonsen, Olaf 1897 births 1978 deaths Sportspeople from Arendal Sailors (sport) from Oslo Norwegian bandy players Norwegian male sailors (sport) Norwegian men's footballers Norway men's international footballers Sailors at the 1936 Summer Olympics – 8 Metre Olympic sailors for Norway Olympic silver medalists for Norway Norwegian sports executives and administrators Norwegian International Olympic Committee members Businesspeople from Oslo in shipping Nortraship people Norwegian expatriates in Sweden Commanders of the Order of the Lion of Finland Commanders of the Order of Vasa Commanders of the Order of the Polar Star Commanders of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Commanders of the Order of Orange-Nassau Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog Recipients of the King's Medal of Merit in gold Olympic medalists in sailing Grini concentration camp survivors Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics Men's association football forwards Businesspeople from Oslo