Marquis Juan Antonio Samaranch

Juan Antonio Samaranch’s 21-year term as President of the International Olympic Committee was second only in duration to that of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of Modern Pentathlon and the IOC itself.

The Marquis of Samaranch was instrumental in the development of Modern Pentathlon during his IOC Presidency (1980-2001). He was a strong supporter of the evolution of the sport and in December 1997 he gave a commitment to UIPM that the introduction of women’s pentathlon to the Olympic Games would be proposed.

One month later, at the IOC Session in Nagano (JAP) before the Olympic Winter Games, members voted for the addition of a women’s event to the Olympic Modern Pentathlon programme at Sydney 2000.

On June 5, 2002, the Marquis became an Honorary Member of the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) during celebrations of the 90th anniversary of Modern Pentathlon as an Olympic sport. Until his death in 2010 he remained a passionate advocate of the modernisation of Modern Pentathlon.

As IOC President, he had a huge impact on the development of the wider Olympic movement.

He founded the Olympic Museum and promoted the advancement of women in sport and awareness of sport’s impact on the environment. He established a strong marketing strategy and The Olympic Partner (TOP) sponsorship system, set up the Olympic Broadcast Service (OBS) and supported the IOC Athletes Commission.

Under his administration, Lausanne became the capital of the Olympic movement, the World Anti-Doping Agency and the Court of Arbitration for sport. The 1980s and 1990s were a time of unprecedented change for Olympic sport and the face of Modern Pentathlon was altered forever in 2000, the final year of the Marquis’ Presidency, when the introduction of women achieved gender balance for the sport at the Olympic Games.

Today, the Samaranch name continues to be associated with UIPM through 1st Vice-President Juan Antonio Samaranch (son of the Marquis), who is also Vice-President of the IOC.