Manuel de la Quintana

Manuel de la Quintana lived in Paris when he was co-opted onto the IOC in May 1907. He was wealthy and well-connected, owning two ocean racing yachts, one of which, “Edelweiss,” set an Argentine record in 1913 by crossing the Atlantic in 53 days.

De la Quintana wrote letters to Pierre de Coubertin in autumn 1908, informing him that he was returning to Argentina for a long stay due to ill health. Quintana offered to resign from the IOC but informed de Coubertin he would form an Argentine Olympic Committee on his return, but this never occurred. De la Quintana would be unanimously expelled from the IOC in June 1910 after it was discovered that he had used his IOC Membership for his personal benefit. In 1910 he had staged an international sports event in Buenos Aires and termed it the Centennial Olympic Games, without IOC permission, and also paid for the appearance of Italy’s Dorando Pietri, against all IOC rules of amateurism. De la Quintana never attended an IOC Session during his tenure.