Godefroy de Blonay

Godefroy de Blonay ( born July 25, 1869 in Lower Schonthal, community Füllinsdorf, Canton of Basel-Landschaft, † February 14, 1937 in Biskra ) was a Swiss Indologist and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

He was the son of Gustave Louis de Blonay, the owner of Schloss Grandson. After Blonay had completed a study Egyptology in Paris, he moved to Indology and dealt with Indian languages ​​and civilizations. From 1911 to 1929 he worked as a lecturer at the University of Neuchâtel. He was also from 1921 to 1937 president of the Société d' histoire de la Suisse Romande.

1899 Blonay was the first representative of Switzerland in the IOC, to which he belonged until his death. He was considered a close confidant of the IOC President Pierre de Coubertin. In 1912 he attended the Olympic Games in Stockholm. He was the perfect organization so enthusiastic that he shortly afterwards the foundation of the Swiss Olympic Committee (SOC ) initiated in order to coordinate the future Swiss participations better. He was able to integrate all major sporting associations and served from 1912 to 1915 as the first president of the SOC. 1916 Pierre de Coubertin occurred during the First World War in the French army. Godefroy de Blonay then took over as acting chair the IOC and led the organization until 1919.