OBITUARY: Eugene Oryszczyn, Canadian sports personality, 82 (09/07/97)

OBITUARY: Eugene Oryszczyn, Canadian sports personality, 82

TORONTO - Eugene Oryszczyn, one of Canada's most distinguished sports personalities, died on August 17 in Toronto.

Mr. Oryszczyn was born in Lviv, Ukraine, on October 14, 1914. His association with gymnastics began at the rather late age of 15. He took a liking to the sport and in no time excelled in it. From 1930 to 1939, while competing for the Sokil club, he won numerous titles, among them the 1938 all-around championship of Western Ukraine.

World War II put Mr. Oryszczyn's gymnastic career on hold. In 1939, while working for the Ukrainian resistance movement, he was arrested by the KGB and sentenced to 10 years in a labor camp at Vorkuta, Komi ASSR. An agreement between the Polish government in exile and Stalin landed him in the Polish army, which was integrated into the Red Army.

After the war, Mr. Oryszczyn settled in Poland. A career in law did not materialize, as his pre-war law degree was not valid in the new Poland. In addition, not being a member of the Communist Party, he was excluded from this work. As a result, he enrolled at a physical education institute in Warsaw.

In 1948, he began coaching. In 1952, he became a national level judge and two years later an international judge. While in Poland, Mr. Oryszczyn coached a number of clubs, his stint as head coach at the Wlokniarz sport club being the most significant. Among those training under his direction were Helena Racoczy, the 1950 all-around world champion, and the bronze medallist in the all-around competition and uneven bars at the 1954 World Championships; and Jerzy Solarz, a member of the 1952 Olympic and 1954 World Championship teams.

Mr. Orysczczyn arrived in Canada in 1960. A year later, he took over the head coaching position of the Etobicoke Jaycees Gymnastics Club. He held the position through 1975. In 1961, Mr. Oryszczyn judged his first Canadian National Championship. Subsequently, he judged at every national championship through the year 1990.

In addition, Mr. Oryszczyn judged at six World Championships, one World Cup, two World Student Games, two Commonwealth Games, one Pan-American Games, and four Olympics.

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