Jan Wils

Jan Wils is the only architect to win an Olympic medal with a design that was realized for the same Olympics. His design for the 1928 Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam, and the surrounding buildings, was awarded with a gold medal in the 1928 architectural design competition. Thanks to good connections with IOC member Pieter Scharroo, Wils had been selected to design the stadium in 1928. One of its notable features is the Marathontoren, a 40 m high tower. Wils planned to have a fire burn in top of this tower throughout the Olympics. A traditional Greek symbol, the socialist Wils supposedly used fire to juxtapose his tower against church towers, as Dutch christian politicians had been largely opposed to holding the (heathen) Olympics in the Netherlands. Wils remained connected to the Olympic Movement, entering the Olympic competitions in 1932 and 1948, while judging the entries in 1936.

Wils was also known for his (brief) membership of the "De Stijl" movement. This Dutch art movement and magazine existed between 1917 and 1931. Its chief proponents included by Theo van Doesburg, Piet Mondriaan and Gerrit Schröder. After a dispute, Wils left De Stijl, but remained sympathetic to the movement. The Olympic Stadium is still Wils' best known building. It was long used as the home stadium for various Amsterdam football clubs, including Ajax for its European matches. The stadium was scheduled to be demolished in the 1990s, but was eventually declared a monument and renovated. Other notable designs by Wils include two company buildings for Citroën (built adjacent to the Olympic Stadium), and the City Theater in Amsterdam.