Sam Ramsamy OIS (born 27 January 1938) is an educator, activist and sports administrator from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Career

Ramsamy was a physical education lecturer and a primary school teacher. In the 1980s, he was a high-profile anti-

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

campaigner in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and was chairman of the South Africa non-racial Olympic Committee (SAN-ROC) during the apartheid years from 1976 to 1990, campaigning against discrimination in sport and against the participation of South Africa's white-only teams in international sporting events. He returned to South Africa upon the lifting of ban on the ANC and became the President of South Africa's official

National Olympic Committee A National Olympic Committee (NOC) is a national constituent of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, NOCs are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games ...

from 1991. He led the first non-racial South African team to the

1992 Barcelona Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

. He has served with the

International Swimming Federation World Aquatics, formerly known as FINA (; ), is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administering international competitions in water sports. It is one of several international federations whi ...

bureau and is currently also a vice-president and official

FINA World Aquatics, formerly known as FINA (; ), is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administering international competitions in List of water sports, water sports. It is one of several interna ...

spokesman at all official events. Ramsamy 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 sat on their Commission evaluating the bids for the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. He was a member of the IOC co-ordination committee for the 2012 London Games. Ramsamy ceased to be a member at the end of 2018 when as per protocol he retired after turning 80. In May 2011, following the announcement that South Africa will not bid for the

2020 Olympic Games The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

, Ramsamy told Olympic news source ''

Around the Rings Around the Rings (ATR) is an Internet-based publication covering the business and politics of the Olympic Movement, as well as a wide array of issues in international sports. ATR delivers its news across several platforms: print, online, email ...

'' that he was "disappointed" in the government's decision, but he is "certain" they will bid for 2024.

References

External links

IOC member profile
1938 births Living people South African International Olympic Committee members South African sports executives and administrators Sportspeople from Durban Recipients of the Order of Ikhamanga {{2012-Olympic-stub