Julio César Maglione

Julio César Maglione’s career was in dentistry; specifically he worked for many years as an odontologist, or in forensic dentistry. In that position, he was President of the National Committee of Physical Education and Sport of Uruguay from 198-90 and 1995-2000. He also served in a cabinet position as vice-minister of Public Health from 1991-92. Maglione was President of the South American Council of Sports Ministers (CONSUDE) in 1998-99 and served as President of the Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport, UNESCO (CIGEPS) (1998-2002), then Honorary President from 2002.

A swimmer in his youth, Maglione was a national champion and national record holder in the breaststroke and butterfly from 1949-54. He competed at the 1955 Pan American Games in the heats of the 200 metre breaststroke and the 200 metre butterfly. At the Latin American Games he won two bronze medals and was a silver medalist in the medley relay.

Maglione entered sports administration in his primary sport, serving as President of the Uruguayan Swimming Federation from 1969-85, President of the Amateur Swimming Union of the Americas from 1979-83 and 1995-99, and President of the South American Swimming Confederation from 1976-78. He was also President of the Uruguayan Football Association in 1989, of the Special Olympics in Uruguay in 1990, of the Uruguayan Sports Confederation from 1985-90, and of the Uruguay National Olympic Committee from 1987 through at least 2022.

With the Fédération Internationale de Natation Amateur (FINA), Maglione was a member of the bureau from 1984-88, vice-president from 1988-92, honorary treasurer from 1992-2009, and President of FINA from 2009-21. With the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), Maglione was on the executive board from 1991-2002.

Maglione was co-opted onto the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1995 and served through 2015, after which time he was made an Honorary Member. He served on several commissions within the IOC, including: Sport for All (1992-2014), Coordination for the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad Athens 2004 (1998-2001), IOC 2000 (1999), Coordination for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad Beijing 2008 (2002-08), International Relations (2002-15), Olympic Solidarity (2002-18), Coordination for the Games of the XXXI Olympiad Rio 2016 (2010-16), Nominations (2014-15), Public Affairs and Social Development through Sport (2015-16), and the IOC Members Election Commission (2015-19).

For his efforts on behalf of sports Maglione has received numerous awards and honors, some of which include the Royal Order of Merit in Sport of the Spanish Minister of Education and Science (1996), Legion of Honour of the French Republic (1998), Order of the Chinese National Olympic Committee (1999), Order “Bernardo O’Higgins” (Chile) (2000), Distinction of the International Pierre de Coubertin Committee (2001), Honorary Citizen of the city of Montevideo (Uruguay) (2007), and the Olympic Order in Silver (2015).