Hans Marius FOGH

Hans Fogh is one of only ten people, as of 2012, to have competed in sailing at six or more editions of the Olympic Games. Originally expected to work in gardening, like the rest of his family, he took up sailing at the age of 17 and quickly found success in the Flying Dutchman class, winning gold at the 1960 European Championships with Ole Gunnar Petersen. They were selected to represent Denmark at that year’s Summer Olympics, at which they clinched the silver medal by the end of the fifth race. Over the next 16 years he had numerous successes in the Flying Dutchman class: gold at the 1962 and 1973 World Championships (with Paul Elvstrøm and Evert Bastet respectively) and the 1976 European Championships Bastet, silver at the 1964 European Championships (with Petersen), and bronze at the 1974 World Championships (with Bastet). He also placed fourth, sixteenth, and seventh at the 1964, 1968, and 1972 Olympic Games respectively.

In 1969 Fogh moved to Toronto, Canada to open a sail-making business and earned his citizenship in 1975, paving the way for him to compete for that country at the 1976 Summer Olympics, where he finished fourth with Bastet. In 1974 he had begun to dabble in the Soling Class, winning the event at that year’s World Championships alongside Elvstrøm and the non-Olympian Bruce McCurrach. In total he won three European Championships in this class (1978, 1982, and 1983), one World Championship (2006), was runner-up in four North American Championships (1998, 2005, 2007, and 2008) and the 1987 Pan American Games, and came in third at the 1987 European Championships. He also competed at one more edition of the Olympic Games, winning bronze alongside Steve Calder and John Kerr in 1984. He is a member of Canada’s and the Etobicoke Sports Halls of Fame.