Masaji Kiyokawa

Champion backstroke swimmer Masaji Kiyokawa was born on February 11, 1913 in Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan. Kiyokawa was selected as a member of the Japanese swimming team for the 1932 Olympic games in Los Angeles; California and won the gold medal in the men's 100 meter backstroke. Masaji went on to win the bronze medal in that same event at the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin, Germany. A graduate of the Tokyo College of Commerce, Kiyokawa became director of the Japan Swimming Federation in 1948 and was a member of the International Olympic Committee from 1975 to 1989 (he served as vice chairman of this committee from 1979 to 1983). In addition, Masaji not only was involved in the Japanese bid for the 1988 Olympic games to be held in the city of Nagoya, Japan, but also was the CEO of the general trading company Kanematsu Corp. starting in 1976. Kiyokawa died at age 86 from pancreatic cancer at a hospital in Tokyo, Japan on April 13, 1999. Show less «