International Society of Olympic Historians


The International Society of Olympic Historians is a non-profit organization founded in 1991 with the purpose of promoting and studying the Olympic Movement and the Olympic Games. The majority of recent books on the Olympic Games have been written by ISOH members. The ISOH publishes the Journal of Olympic History three times a year.

History

The International Society of Olympic Historians was formed as the result of a meeting in London, England in December 1991. The idea of forming an Olympic historical society had been the subject of correspondence - mainly between Bill Mallon and Ture Widlund - for many years. On Thursday, 5 December 1991, a group of potential members met at the Duke of Clarence, a small pub in the Kensington section of London. Those present were Ian Buchanan, Stan Greenberg, Ove Karlsson, Bill Mallon, Peter Matthews, David Wallechinsky, and Ture Widlund. The invited guests who sent regrets were: Anthony Bijkerk, Peter Diamond, Pim Huurman, Erich Kamper, Volker Kluge, John Lucas, and Wolf Lyberg.
ISOH was formed with the purpose of promoting and studying the Olympic Movement and the Olympic Games. This purpose is achieved primarily through research into their history, through the gathering of historical and statistical data concerning the Olympic Movement and Olympic Games, through the publication of the research via journals and other publications, and through the cooperation of the membership.
From its inception to 2000, Ian Buchanan has been the president of the ISOH. In 2000, this function was taken over by Bill Mallon. From 2004 to 2012 Dr. Karl Lennartz served as president and since 2012 David Wallechinsky has been president.

Journal of Olympic History

The ISOH publishes the Journal of Olympic History.

Membership

, the ISOH has about 340 members from 48 nations.ISOH 2007, cited. The membership includes well-known Olympic historians and researchers on Olympic topics. The majority of recent books on the Olympic Games have been written by ISOH members. Over 20 ISOH members have received the Olympic Order for their contributions to the Olympic Movement, and several members of the IOC and several Olympians are members.ISOH 2007, cited. Other members are collectors of Olympic memorabilia, such as Raleigh DeGeer Amyx.