In his youth, Keith Schellenberg was involved in numerous sports and, for a time, was captain of the Yorkshire rugby team, while later in life he earned accolades as a racer of both cars and boats. In-between, he made a name for himself in winter sports and twice attended the Olympics. In 1956 in Cortina d’Ampezzo he competed in both the two- and four-man bobsleigh events, finishing 11th and 12th respectively. In 1964 in Innsbruck he took part in the luge singles, placed 25th among 38 entrants, and served as Great Britain’s flagbearer in the Opening Ceremony.
Schellenberg became wealthy off of a variety of business ventures and purchased the Scottish island of Eigg in 1975 with the intent of conserving both its natural environment and its human history. Over the next two decades, however, the locals accused him of mistreating them and neglecting his responsibilities, with the anger culminating in a January 1994 arson attack against Schellenberg, who sold the island the following year. He also attempted his hand in politics in the 1960s, contesting the Richmond (Yorks) parliamentary constituency as a member of the Liberal Party in 1964 and 1966 and coming in third both times.
Great Britain