R.I.P - Professor Kalevi Olin passed away

CSIT mourns the loss of one of its companions and its long-time President and Honorary President

It is with deep dismay and sadness that the CSIT family has to say goodbye to a great friend and supporter of the CSIT movement. Professor Kalevi Olin fell ill completely unexpectedly with acute pneumonia and passed away last Friday in a Finnish hospital in what is now his home town of Turku. From 1996 to 2008, Olin was the first Finnish President of CSIT, which elected him Honorary President in 2008. Kalevi Olin was married to Pirre Olin, a teacher of physical education and health. They lived in Turku and Helsinki until the end.

CSIT President Bruno Molea was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Kalevi Olin: "I am reaching out to you on a very unfortunate manner to give you the sad news that CSIT honorable president prof. Kalevi Olin has passed away on last Friday at the age of 77 years. I am close to his relatives and, on behalf of the entire Csit family, I offered TUL’s President, mr. Riku Tapio, our deepest condolences. Kalevi Olin is one of the former presidents of CSIT and I kindly ask you, in his honor, to acknowledge 1 minute of silence in all your championships and sports initiatives this week."

Kalevi Anders Wilhelm Olin (5 October 1945 Pyhäjärvi Ul - 26 May 2023 Turku) was a Finnish assistant professor (1987-1997) and professor (1998-2005) at the University of Jyväskylä, who served as SDP MP for the Central Finland constituency from 1995-2007. In connection with this activity, Olin was also a substitute member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg (France) from 2003 to 2007, serving, inter alia, on the Council of Europe's Subcommittee on Science in 2003 and the Committee on Population in 2004-2007.

As a Member of the European Parliament, Professor Olin was a member of the Education Committee, the Grand Committee (EU Affairs), the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Committee on the Future, of which he was also Vice-Chairman. He was also Chair of the Steering Group on Information Management in Parliament from 1999 to 2007 and Chair of the Society of Researchers and Members of Parliament from 2003 to 2007.

Olin was an active debater and a sought-after speaker at various social events and also a great organiser in sport: he was President of the Finnish Workers' Sports Federation (TUL) from 1995 to 2007 and Chairman of the Federation's Council from 1983 to 1995. Professor Kalevi Olin's literary activity includes more than 250 scientific and popular publications in Finnish, English, French and Swedish, which he has written alone or in collaboration with others on the topics of society and sport from the aspects of planning and decision-making, politics, administrative management and migration.

After leaving politics, Olin continued his literary activities, including editing and co-authoring the anniversary volume 100 Years of CSIT, published to mark the organisation's centenary in Brussels in October 2013 (Olin, K. Ed. Sport, Peace and Development. International workers' sport 1913-2013. Sportverlag. Vienna. Austria. 159 p. / Olin, K. Ed. Sport, Paix et Development. Sport Travailliste International 1913-2013. sports publisher. Vienne. Autriche. 159 S.)

29. may 2023 / CSIT News

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