Sam Ramsamy

Sam Ramsamy studied at the Springfield College of Education in Durban (RSA), the University of South Africa, the Carnegie College of Physical Education in Leeds (GBR), and finally received a law degree at the University of Toronto (CAN). Ramsamy became best known as chairman of the South African Non-Racial Olympic Committee (SANROC) (1976-90), which was successful in making the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspend and later, keep suspended, the South African Olympic Committee while it still practiced apartheid in sport.

Ramsamy was President of Swimming South Africa from 1991-97 and was President of the South African National Olympic Committee from 1991-2005. He also served as chair of the South African Commonwealth Games Association from 1994-97. The IOC named Ramsamy as a Member in 1995 and he continued to serve through 2018, after which he was made an Honorary Member. He chaired the Sport for All (2010-15) and Sport and Active Society Commissions (2015-18) and was an Executive Board Member from 2014-18.

He was also a member of several other commissions, as follows: Apartheid and Olympism (1989-1991), Sport and Environment (1996-2001), IOC 2000 (1999), Culture and Olympic Education (2002-10), Press (2002-15), Olympic Programme (2003-17), Evaluation for the Games of the XXX Olympiad in 2012 (2004-05), Coordination for the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London in 2012 (2005-12), International Relations (2014-15), Public Affairs and Social Development through Sport (2015-18), and Olympic Education (2015-18). Outside of sport, Ramsamy received many honors and distinctions. He was given the National Order of Ikamanga in South Africa and served as their ambassador of tourism. He was also a member of the committee in charge of the inauguration of Nelson Mandela when he was first elected President.