Untold stories of the Olympic Movement revealed in François Carrard autobiography
Extraordinary life story of one of the architects of modern sport told in ‘By The Way’
London, UK; 02 May 2024: Chiselbury, the independent publisher, is pleased to announce the publication of ‘By The Way’, the posthumous autobiography of François Carrard, first Director-General of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and one of the most influential sports administrators in modern sport.
‘By The Way’ takes readers behind-the-scenes during one of the most formative periods in sports history, revealing extraordinary stories of a man who quietly helped shape the Olympic Movement into what it is today. Thomas Bach, the President of the IOC, describes him in his Foreword to the book as, “One of the pillars of the phenomenon that is modern sport.”
From playing a pivotal role in the modernisation of the IOC, the launch of the World Anti-Doping Agency and creation of the Court for Arbitration in Sport, through to leading the IOC Administration in a period which saw the fall of the Soviet Empire and end of Apartheid in South Africa, Carrard was one of the central mainstays of modern international sport, with a legacy that will be felt for generations to come.
As the right-hand man to three IOC presidents, Carrard was a troubleshooter for several sports in crisis, and the architect of vital initiatives in sports governance, the fight against drugs, and the legal underpinnings of sport. He first brought his legal acumen to the IOC in 1979, when he pointed out that rather than being the established international association that it was believed to be, it was in fact nothing more than a private Swiss club, with no international legal standing or immunity. He soon occupied a pivotal role in its organisation and became the IOC's first Director General in 1989. He stayed in that position until 2003 and played a crucial role in re-writing the Olympic Charter.
François Carrard also made a significant contribution to several other sports, including his role on FIFA’s Reform Commission, and in advising the International Boxing Association, the International Swimming Federation and the Grand Prix Drivers Association.
A man of many talents, he was Chairman of the Montreux Jazz Festival and, possessed of great diplomacy and charm, was asked to be the figurehead of Lausanne’s Beau Rivage, one of the world’s most prestigious hotels. François Carrard died on 9 January 2022.
-ENDS-
Notes to editors
‘By The Way’ is available for purchase in hardback here, from all good bookshops (ISBN: 978-1-916556-22-5) and worldwide from Amazon. It will also be available in all major epub formats, including as a Kindle edition from Amazon.
If you would like a review copy please email info@chiselbury.co.uk
Contact
+447557435851