Emile Georges Drigny (FRA)

Honor Contributor (1984)

The information on this page was written the year of their induction.

FOR THE RECORD:  President of FINA 1928-1932; President of the Ligue Europeene de Natation 1938-1948; President of the Federation Francaise de Natation from 1942-1950; Honor Secretary of the Federation Francaise 1911-1914, 1919-1924; In 1927 Founder member of the Ligue Europeene de Natation; Creator in 1922 of “Natation”, which was during the period 1922-1930, the official weekly of FINA; Before WWI, he was a long distance swimmer and in 1920 was a member of the French water polo team.

Emile Georges “EG” Drigny (1883-1957) had more to do with developing French swimming than any other man.  During his 74 years, “EG” created the great weekly swimming magazine “Natation.”  He was for one Olympic quadrennial, president of FINA, the international governing body of World swimming and was a founder and ten-year president of the European League.  Drigny was twice secretary and principal operating officer of the French Swimming Federation.  His French swimming magazine was so outstanding that for over eight years, “Natation” was the official organ of both the FINA and European swimming.  “EG” was twice a member of the French National Team (1911& 1912) in long distance swimming and was a member of the French Water Polo team at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics.  His swimming-water polo career as an athlete was interrupted by prolonged service in the French Army during WWI.  He is best remembered, however, not as an athlete, but as a sports journalist and as a swimming administrator.  He organized the swimming in the Interallied Games in 1919, in the Paris Olympic Games in 1924 and in the European Championships in Monte Carlo in 1947.  Drigny was also president-founder of the French Association of International Swimmers (1948) and a long time president of the Association of French Sports Journalist.  His magazine survives him to this day as the official organ of French swimming.