Stig “Solla” Sollander’s first Olympic participation was at St. Moritz in 1948 in the downhill. He then won a bronze medal in the alpine combined for men at the 1954 World. At the 1956 Winter Olympics, he won Sweden’s first Olympic medal in alpine skiing, a bronze in slalom. Since the Olympic races in alpine skiing were also regarded as FIS World Championships, Sollander’s third place in slalom and his good results in the giant slalom (16th) and downhill (10th) earned him a world championship bronze in alpine combined. He competed for IFK Östersund until November 1951 and subsequently for Östersund-Frösö Slalomklubb (a merger of the alpine sections of IFK Östersund and Frösö IF) and during his career won four individual alpine national championships: downhill in 1952-53 and slalom in 1955 and 1958. In addition he was second or third eight times in all at the Swedish nationals.
In 1949, Sollander married Monika Charlotta Sollander, with whom he had six children and 15 grandchildren. One child was Lotta Sollander, who competed at the 1972 Olympics in alpine skiing. Another two children, Stefan and Lena Sollander-Lundh, became alpine skiing national champions.
Sweden