Denis Oswald

IOC member, Former President of The International Rowing Federation (FISA)

Education
Law, Universities of Neuchâtel, Zurich and Cambridge; degree (1970); qualification as lawyer (1973); doctorate (1977).

Career
Independent lawyer at the Neuchâtel Bar. President of the Bar in the Canton of Neuchâtel (1990-1993); Judge at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS); legal consultant; Director of the International Center for Sports Studies (CIES); Professor at the University of Neuchâtel. He runs his own legal practice in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.

Sports practised
Rowing, ice hockey, cycling, running and skiing.

Sports career
Member of the Rowing national team (1968-1976); 13 times national champion in elite competition including 5 times in single sculls; participated in the Olympic Games in Mexico in 1968 (bronze medal, four oars with coxswain), Munich in 1972 (8th, four oars with coxswain) and Montreal in 1976 (8th, quadruple sculls); 4th in the World Rowing Championships (1974) (quadruple sculls). He was also 15 times national champion (5 times in the single scull); national university ice hockey vice-champion.

Sports administration
Secretary General (1978-1989) then President of the International Rowing Federation (FISA) (1989-); Deputy Secretary General of the NOC (1985-1996); President of the Neuchâtel Rowing club (1976-1980); member of the Appeals Chamber of the Swiss Ice Hockey League (1976-1991); member of the Board of Governors of the International Masters Games Association (IMGA) (1993-); ASOIF President (2000-).

IOC history

Member of the Executive Board (2000-2012); Chairman of the Coordination Commission for the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad in Athens in 2004 (2001-2004); Chairman of the Coordination Commission for the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London in 2012 (2005-); Vice-Chairman of the Eligibility Commission (1992-1998); member as IF representative of the following Commissions: Olympic Movement (1989-1999), Evaluation for the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad in 2004 (1996-1997), Coordination for the Games of the XXVII Olympiad in Sydney in 2000, Coordination for the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad in Athens in 2004 (2000-2001); member of the following Commissions: Juridical (1993-), Medical (1995-), IOC 2000 (Executive Committee, 1999), IOC 2000 Reform Follow-up (2002-), Sport and Law (2008-); member (1994) of the Olympic Collectors’ Association then Vice-Chairman (1996-1999); Vice-Chairman of the International Olympic Memorabilia Federation (2000-2001)

Distinctions
Winner of the Swiss sports merit prize for teams (1968).

Languages
English, French, German, Spanish.