ERICH KAMPER - LEADING OLYMPIC HISTORIAN AND MENTOR by Ove Karlsson Erich Kamper (r.) was awarded the Olympic Order as decided by the 92nd IOC session, 1987 in Istanbul. The order was handed over by Philipp von Schoeller, IOC member in Austria 1977-2000 (honorary member since 2000), at a ceremony on Nov. 27, 1988. A highly respected Olympic historian and statis- preferred and still prefer scientific essays, tician, Erich KAMPER would had been 90 this year, discussions, and interpretations." [Kamper in if alive. However, he died nine years ago. Citius, Altius, Fortius. The ISOH Journal ISOH members certainly recognize, I am 1(1992)1] convinced, KAMPER as a "very reliable source". In 1947, Kamper got in touch with the German Younger colleagues might not, however, be Olympic historian Dr. Fritz WASNER, well-known familiar with the person behind the name. for his Olympia Lexikon (1939), and this further KAMPER was the guiding light behind the inspired and encouraged him. creation of the ISOH, and – as an example to us KAMPER followed the Olympics 1928–1994, all with his experience, power of initiative and and was present at 13 celebrations (incl. three accuracy – elected Honorary president at the Winter Games) 1936–1992. Jesse OWENS, the founding meeting Dec. 5, 1991. star of the first Games KAMPER covered, Erich KAMPER was born June 22, 1914, in remained his No. 1 Olympian. Mitter-dorf/Mürztal (Styria), Austria, and died Nov. 9, 1995, in his home town of Graz. The favorite sport Already in his teens, he became interested in Track and field athletics was his favorite sport, the Olympic Games and started research into its both as a young athlete and later as a history in the early 1930s. At the time, the field researcher/historian/statistician. According to Mein was almost unfilled: Wettkampfbuch (My competition book), he for "There were already thousands of Olympic example won both discus (32.43) and javelin books and articles but almost exclusively they (37.77) at the 1933 club championships of the dealt with ethical, pedagogical and socio- Gratkorn section of the Arbeiter Turn- und Sport- logical aspects of the Olympic Games. The bund (ATUS), where he also played handball. He Olympic historians and scientists were only had to give up competitive sport because of an little interested in the Olympic competitions elbow injury before entering the senior ranks. and athletes and their performances. They 46 JOURNAL OF OLYMPIC HISTORY 12(October 2004)3 A founding member of the Association of Track French and Swedish; Union Verlag, and Field Statisticians, in 1950, he was a regular Stuttgart, 1964), contributor to the ATFS year-book and named Enzyklopädie der Olympischen Spiele Honorary member in 1986. (Redaktionsbüro Harenberg, Dortmund, From 1940–78, KAMPER was correspondent for 1972) / Encyclopedia of the Olympic the Berlin magazine Der Leichtathlet (–1944)/ Games (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1972), Leichtathletik (1950–). In France during World Lexikon der 12 000 Olympioniken (Leykam- War II, he continued to write for Der Leichtathlet. Verlag, Graz, 1975), As contributor already in the latter part of the Lexikon der 14 000 Olympioniken (Leykam- 1930s, he became a good friend of editor-in Verlag, Graz, 1983; sold in 68 countries on chief, Heinz CAVALIER, later editor-in-chief also of five continents and named Sports book of Leichtathletik. the year in West Germany), Somewhat a pioneer in compiling complete Olympische Heroen – Portraits und statistics, KAMPER was asked right after the war, Anekdoten von 1896 bis heute, with by the president of the Österreichischer Leicht- Herbert SOUCEK, an old school-mate athletik-Verband, to help in reconstructing the (Spiridon Verlag, Erkrath, 1991 )/Olimpiadi record lists, as the association office had been Gli Eroi Olimpici (Vallardi & Associati, destroyed during the war. KAMPER was a main Milan, 1992), and contributor to Leichtathletik in Österreich (1966) The Golden Book of the Olympic Games, with and compiled (in co-operation with Mag. [later Bill MALLON (Vallardi & Associati, Milan, Dr.] Karl GRAF) the history of Austrian track and 1992). field athletics in Österreichs Leichtathletik in Originally without his knowledge, Enzyklopädie Namen und Zahlen (1986). der Olympischen Spiele provided the main part of historical information to the 1972 Olympia- Hobby turned into profession Computer "Golym" in Munich. After KAMPER'S From 1932, before finishing his studies, he had objections, an amicable agreement was reached. assignments as a freelance writer (and photo- After the war, his annual top-20 lists for grapher), in – among other papers – Sport in Austrian athletics and swimming appeared in Österreich. Sport-Schau (Vienna). In addition, he contributed After graduating from the Bundes-Handels- (from 1948) to numerous other publications, akademie in Graz, in the summer of 1933, he Austrian and foreign, including the German worked as correspondent and clerk at the general magazine Olympi-sches Feuer. The Guinness insurance company (for accidents and injuries) in Book of Olympic Records and The Guinness Graz. In military service, from the autumn of 1938 Book of Records. Further, he was responsible for until May 1945, he was sent to Poland and the subjects Olympic Games, winter sports, track France during the war. and field athletics and (international) swimming in Passionately interested in sports in general Die Stars des Sports von A–Z (Carl Habel and the Olympic Games in particular, the hobby Verlagsbuchhandlung, Berlin and Darmstadt, turned into a full-time profession when he 1970). became sports editor of the Graz daily Neue Zeit from its start in January 1946 until he reached An Olympic detective retirement age in June 1979. with a strict language (Neue Zeit was until July 1987, when the "The Sherlock Holmes of the five rings" "killed" employees took over, the party organ of the many myths and unsatisfactorily checked articles. Sozialistische Partei Österreichs, with a certain Already for his first Who's Who (1975), some independency, however. SPÖ in 1991 changed thousand errors in previous publications were its name to Sozialdemokratische Partei Öster- corrected. In his research, KAMPER used – reichs; Neue Zeit ceased publication April 30, checked and double-checked – sources from 2001.) some 30 countries and wrote around 8,000 letters to individuals and organisations in 62 Olympic standard works countries on five continents: NOCs, athletes, KAMPER'S books on the Olympics are recognized sports associations and clubs, libraries, public world-wide as standard works on the modern registers, etc. Games: Once in Athens, he found a file on the 1900 Lexikon der Olympischen Winterspiele (with Games at the office of the Greek Olympic text in four languages: German, English, Committee, borrowed it overnight, made short- JOURNAL OF OLYMPIC HISTORY 12(October 2004)3 47 hand notes during the night and returned the file English and read several other languages, the following day. including Swedish. His thorough research proved, with the help of colleagues/friends around the world, for Prominent awards example that George ORTON (athletics 1900) was In 1966 and 1975, KAMPER was invited as a Canadian, not U.S. American; that Adolf SPINNLER lecturer at the sessions of the International (gymnastics 1904) was Swiss, not German; that Olympic Academy (Athens/Olympia), of which he Julius LENHART (gymnastics 1904) was Austrian, was made an honorary member in 1969 "in not U.S. American, etc. Not to mention all recognition of valuable services to Olympism". corrections to the spelling of names. (KAMPER later became a member of the To KAMPER, there were only two kinds of Österreichische Olympische Akademie, founded journalists: those with a flowery language, "not in 1982.) necessarily careful with the facts", and those with The Association Internationale de la Presse a strict language. Sportive (AIPS), the International Sports Press KAMPER himself, no doubt, belonged to the Association, honoured him "for distinguished latter category. But strict language doesn't have services to sports journalism" at its 50th to be a contrast to interesting, entertaining text, anniversary in 1974. which KAMPER showed for example in Neue Zeit In 1987, the International Olympic Committee and Olympische Heroen. awarded KAMPER the Olympic Order (silver) in "recognition of his services to the Olympic A never-ending task Movement". A prolific, fascinating personality, deeply devoted In Austria, he received the Sport-Oskar- to the Olympics, he also had an outstanding Medaille, awarded by the Österrichische Turn- knowledge of non-Olympic sports and in general und Sport-Union (1984) and the Grosses Ehren- of the world around us. zeichen des Landes Steiermark (1990). His was a never-ending task, but he went on A friendly gentleman, down-to-earth and with discipline, punctuality and exactness, humorous, KAMPER could, however, sometimes remaining true to his passion. "You certainly don't be stubborn. get rich by writing books such as mine ..." In 1981 he refused the Silberne Ehrenzeichen A person with extreme knowledge of – and a für Verdienste um die Republik because the phenomenal memory for – facts and figures, he Austrian vice-chancellor, Dr. Fred SINOWATZ, some was called "Konig der Statistiker" (King of the seven years earlier (when SINOWATZ already was Statisticians), the prototype of an encyclopedic Minister of Education, also responsible for sports) writer. He was said to have a "computer brain" had declined to write the preface in KAMPER'S and to be a "human data base". Lexikon der 12 000 Olympioniken. He never worked with a computer, it was a Lord KILLANIN, IOC President at the time, strange world to him. Instead, he kept to the wrote instead: "Mr. Erich Kamper has taken on a Olympia (!) typewriter he had used since 1946! really painstaking task. Thanks to his patient and What would had been if he had used a careful work he gives us here an irreplaceable computer... and invaluable book, [...] We are most grateful to Known to be a perfectionist, the working room him and hope that the now completed triology of in his 100 square meters apartment looked to his works will give rise to new ventures." be in turmoil, however.