Lev Urusov
Encyclopedia
Prince Lev Vladimirovich Urusov ' onMouseout='HidePop("59421")' href="/topics/Saint_Petersburg">Saint Petersburg
— , Paris
) was a Russian
diplomat. From 1910 till his death he was a member of International Olympic Committee
.
Lev Urusov was born in the family of State Councillor and Chamberlain
Vladimir Pavlovich Urusov. In 1898 he graduated from Alexandrovski Lyceum in Saint Petersburg and from the same year started his career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His two big assignments came in 1910-1912 when he was appointed a head of Russian diplomatic mission in Bulgaria
, and then in 1912-1916 when he served as the first secretary at the Russian embassy in Japan
. In 1917, after February Revolution
in Russia, Lev Urusov emigrated to France
and lived there till his death in 1933.
Prince Urusov was one of the leading tennis
players of Russia those years. In 1907 he won the Championship of Saint Petersburg, and the next year he became the Champion of Russia. In 1913, during his diplomatic mission in Japan, he won the Open Championship of Tokyo
. In 1910, he was elected a member of International Olympic Committee
. He retained this position even after the revolution, and remained, while living in France, the only official representative of Russia in IOC. After the end of the World War
he repeatingly submitted proposals for incorporating Russian teams back to the Olympic movement. Toward the 1920 Olympic
he suggested that a team of Russian emigrants may compete, while four years later he asked for the participation of two teams, one composed of the emigrants and another representing Soviet Russia
. The proposals were rejected, and Pierre de Coubertin
later wrote that he regretted this rejection. The rejection was based on the fact that the Soviet Russia has not been recognized yet by the IOC while the emigrants were not representing a distinct existing country.
In 2008 Prince Lev Urusov was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame of Russia. Reporters were informed that no relatives of Lev Urusov remained in Russia and that his award will wait in Russia till his relatives abroad claim it.
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
— , Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
) was a Russian
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
diplomat. From 1910 till his death he was a member of International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
.
Lev Urusov was born in the family of State Councillor and Chamberlain
Chamberlain (office)
A chamberlain is an officer in charge of managing a household. In many countries there are ceremonial posts associated with the household of the sovereign....
Vladimir Pavlovich Urusov. In 1898 he graduated from Alexandrovski Lyceum in Saint Petersburg and from the same year started his career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His two big assignments came in 1910-1912 when he was appointed a head of Russian diplomatic mission in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, and then in 1912-1916 when he served as the first secretary at the Russian embassy in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. In 1917, after February Revolution
February Revolution
The February Revolution of 1917 was the first of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. Centered around the then capital Petrograd in March . Its immediate result was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire...
in Russia, Lev Urusov emigrated to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and lived there till his death in 1933.
Prince Urusov was one of the leading tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
players of Russia those years. In 1907 he won the Championship of Saint Petersburg, and the next year he became the Champion of Russia. In 1913, during his diplomatic mission in Japan, he won the Open Championship of Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. In 1910, he was elected a member of International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
. He retained this position even after the revolution, and remained, while living in France, the only official representative of Russia in IOC. After the end of the World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he repeatingly submitted proposals for incorporating Russian teams back to the Olympic movement. Toward the 1920 Olympic
1920 Summer Olympics
The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
he suggested that a team of Russian emigrants may compete, while four years later he asked for the participation of two teams, one composed of the emigrants and another representing Soviet Russia
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , commonly referred to as Soviet Russia, Bolshevik Russia, or simply Russia, was the largest, most populous and economically developed republic in the former Soviet Union....
. The proposals were rejected, and Pierre de Coubertin
Pierre de Coubertin
Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin was a French educationalist and historian, founder of the International Olympic Committee, and is considered the father of the modern Olympic Games...
later wrote that he regretted this rejection. The rejection was based on the fact that the Soviet Russia has not been recognized yet by the IOC while the emigrants were not representing a distinct existing country.
In 2008 Prince Lev Urusov was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame of Russia. Reporters were informed that no relatives of Lev Urusov remained in Russia and that his award will wait in Russia till his relatives abroad claim it.
External links
- Lev Vladimirovich Urusov in the Big Encyclopedia of Olympics (in Russian)
- Lev Vladimirovich Urusov in the Russian Tennis Encyclopedia (in Russian)
- Lev Urusov's genealogy at the RodovidRodovidRodovid is a free online collaborative family tree portal. Originally a Ukrainian project, as of August 2009 it has active communities in over 19 languages...
portal (in Russian)