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Human Interest
This Article Last Updated: May 19th, 2015 - 18:34:35
It is with great sadness that Finland Star Fleet reports the death of Peter Tallberg, ISCYRA life member, at the age of 77.
Mr. Tallberg was the most successful Finnish Star sailor and our best known sports leader. Before transitioning into the administrative side of sport, Tallberg competed in five editions of the Olympic Games. His best performance at the games was finishing fourth in Star at Tokyo 1964. He finished 15th in the 5.5m in Rome 1960, 11th in Star at Mexico City 1968, 12th in Soling at Munich 1972, and 11th in Star at Moscow 1980. He was also the Eastern Hemisphere Star Champion 1967. Mr. Tallberg was an active sailor in different classes, but the Star was always closest to his heart.
He also enjoyed practicing other sports, including squash, table tennis, skiing and golf. As a skier, Tallberg was Finnish junior slalom champion in 1954. He finished 3rd in the Finnish senior squash championships in 1978.
In 1976 Mr Tallberg was elected member of IOC as the youngest member ever. He was also the first IOC member to participate in the games as an athlete. During his 40-plus years working for the Olympic Movement, Mr Tallberg had a strong and far-reaching impact. He was the founding chairman of the Athletes’ Commission and chaired it from its inception in 1981 until 2002, when he became an Honorary member of the commission. Mr Tallberg worked tirelessly to place the athletes at the heart of the Olympic Movement and to protect sport from all forms of corruption. He was a Council Member of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) (1999-2002) and member of the World Olympians Association (WOA) (2007-2014) as liaison for the IOC Athletes’ Commission.
Mr Tallberg was also the President of the International Yacht Racing Union (IYRU, later International Sailing Federation - ISAF) (1986-1994); President of the Finnish Yachting Association (1977-1983), and President of the Scandinavian Yacht Racing Union (1978-1981). He also captained the Finnish Olympic Yachting team (1976), was Vice-President of the Finnish Squash Association (1974-1976), became a Council member and Secretary General of the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF, later SportAccord) (1988-1998), and was a member of the Executive Board of the European Sport Conference (1994-1998).
Finland Star Fleet expresses its deepest sympathies to Peter Tallberg’s family.
 | | Peter Tallberg with brother Henrik preparing their Star for the Tokyo Olympics 1964 |
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LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP)
Longtime IOC member Peter Tallberg of Finland has died after a battle against cancer, the International Olympic Committee said Saturday. He was 77.
IOC President Thomas Bach described Tallberg as "my first teacher at the IOC" and said "the athletes of the world and all those who love sport owe him a huge debt."
Tallberg was a sailor who competed in five Olympics between 1960 and 1980, with his best result a fourth-place finish in the Star class in 1964 at Tokyo. He became an IOC member in 1976, and was the founding chairman of its athletes' commission.
The Olympic flag at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne will be flown at half-mast in Tallberg's honor for three days.
Bach said Tallberg worked for the Olympic movement for more than 40 years, and "had a strong and far-reaching impact." He left the athletes' commission in 2002, becoming an honorary member of the body that is a link between active athletes and the IOC.
An avid sportsman, Tallberg also competed in skiing - winning a 1964 national slalom championship - and played squash, table tennis and golf.
Tallberg was also a former president of the International Yacht Racing Union and vice-president of the Finnish Squash Association. He was a council member of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) from 1999 to 2002.
In the 1970s and 1980s, he held senior posts with the Helsinki-based, family company Oy Julius Tallberg AB that focuses on real estate and long-term equity investments.
Tallberg studied at universities in Finland and Germany.
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World Olympians Association mourns Olympic legend Peter Tallberg
By Marissa Flanders (USA) / Sports Features Communications
Peter Tallberg was the second-longest serving current IOC member.
(SFC) International Olympic Committee (IOC) Member, former World Olympians Association (WOA), and five-time Olympic sailor, Peter Tallberg passed away last Saturday (May 16th) at the age of 77 in Finland.
Tallberg was elected as an IOC Member in 1976 and was the second-longest serving IOC Member. From 2007-2014, he served as a WOA liaison to the IOC Athletes’ Commission.
The WOA was saddened to hear the news of his death.
WOA President, Joel Bouzou stated, “For me Peter Tallberg is and will remain a pillar of the Olympic ideal and dream. Peter always looked further than sport, always thinking about what sport and great athletes could bring to society. This is why he attended many editions of the International Peace and Sport Forum.”
He went on to add, “Peter is the person who encouraged me to run for the WOA Presidency. He was convinced that the organization could benefit not only Olympians, but the whole of society through the work of Olympians. He was therefore very happy with the current reforms of the WOA. Having been the liaison between the WOA and the IOC Athletes Committee from 2007 to 2014, Peter will be sadly missed by all Olympians but he will remain in all our hearts forever.”
The WOA wanted to extend their deepest condolences to the family of Peter Tallberg.
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