Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Jacques Goddet

Role / Field:

Pioneering French sports journalist and long-time director of the Tour de France.

Born:

1905-06-21

Died:

2000-12-15

Century / Era:

1905s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Jacques Goddet (French pronunciation: [ʒak ɡɔdɛ]; 21 June 1905 – 15 December 2000) was a French sports journalist and director of the Tour de France road cycling race from 1936 to 1986. Goddet was born and died in Paris. His father, Victor Goddet, was co-founder and finance director of L'Auto, the newspaper that organised the first Tour in 1903. When Jacques Goddet had ended his studies in 1931, he became editor-in-chief of L'Auto.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He covered the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. In 1924 Jacques Goddet went to work for his father's paper in the rue du faubourg-Montmartre, Paris. Four years later he followed his first Tour de France and sat spellbound as he watched riders struggle for more than 16 hours on cols "that were no more than mediocre earth paths, muddy, stony". Goddet returned the following year and followed every Tour until 1989, with the exceptions of 1932 when he went to the Los Angeles Olympics and 1981 when he was too ill. He became chief reporter at L'Auto and took over organisation of the race when the director, Henri Desgrange, became too ill to continue in 1936.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

In association football, Goddet is credited as one of the fathers of the idea for the Intercontinental...

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• 1905 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1905
• June 21 (06-21) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on June 21
• 2000 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 2000
• December 15 (12-15) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on December 15

Frequently Asked Questions about Jacques Goddet