Heinz POLLAY

Initially a police officer, Heinz Pollay joined the German Army in 1935. Pollay took up horse riding relatively late in life, in 1932 at the Potsdam Police Riding School, when he was already 24-years-old. Soon his talent was noticed by Otto Lörke, one of the most renowned German equestrian coaches and Pollay started to study at the Hannover Cavalry School. The high point of his sporting career came at the 1936 Olympics, where he won gold in both individual and team dressage.

Pollay served in the Army until 1947, when he retired from the force as a colonel. After his retirement, Pollay worked as the head of the public relations department at the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science, retiring from that position in 1973. He competed at his second Olympics in 1952, winning a bronze medal in team competition, while finishing seventh individually. Pollay retired from sports after the 1952 Olympics, but remained active in equestrian circles as an official and judge. Pollay took the Judge's Oath at the 1972 Olympics in München, the first official to do so at the Summer Olympics. Pollay was Deputy Chairman of the Dressage Committee of the German Olympic Committee for Equestrian Sports (DOKR) from 1970-77, a member of the Dressage Committee of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) from 1974-76, and a member of the Dressage Committee of the German Association of Judges.