The EFC wishes to extend its condolences to the family and friends of David Dushman who has passed away at the age of 98. As well as being one of the greatest fencing coaches of his time Dushman was also an army major who was the last living liberator of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
A doctor by profession, Dushman became the best fencer in the Soviet Union in 1951 before becoming a coach, most notably at Spartak Moscow. He guided the USSR’s women’s foil team for nearly four decades during which time his fencers won multiple World Championship and Olympic medals.
He became friends with now IOC President and 1976 Olympic fencing gold medalist, Thomas Bach in the early 1970s who said, “The death of David Dushman has deeply saddened me. When we met in 1970, he immediately offered me friendship and counsel, despite Mr Dushman’s personal experience with World War II and Auschwitz, and being a man of Jewish origin. This was such a deep human gesture that I will never ever forget it.”
Dushman moved to Munich, Germany in 1996 to coach and was still attending the club on a daily basis until a few years ago. In 2015 Bach invited Dushman to the IOC’s headquarters, where the war veteran said, “My biggest dream and hope for future generations is to live in a world where there is no war. I urge Thomas Bach and the IOC do everything they can to use sport as a way to spread peace and reconciliation around the world. War is something that should never happen again.”
Speaking about her coach, Valentina Sidorova, the 1976 Olympic gold medalist and 1980 Olympic silver medalist said, “He was an amazing man. In fact, he was a fighter and a player. Not just a player, but a gambler. He was a brawler. And the creator. "
Our thoughts are with all those affected by his passing.
Photo by: IOC/Greg Martin
