Amsterdam 1928
First Olympian from Navarre
The Navarrese historian Fernando Arrechea has credited in his blog "Olimpismo" who was the first sportsman from Navarre to take part in the Olympic Games. He is Joaquín García Orcoyen, who competed in fencing at the Amsterdam Games in 1928.
Don Joaquín García Orcoyen, born in Esténoz, Valle de Guesálaz, Merindad de Estella, Navarre on 11 March 1905. Son of Don Juan García Ilurre (ear, nose and throat specialist) and Doña Amanda Orcoyen.
Brother of the famous doctors Don Jesús García Orcoyen (Full Professor, obstetrician and gynecologist of the Franco family, director General de Sanidad) and Doña Juana García Orcoyen.
Joaquín García Orcoyen lived in Madrid in the 1920s and was a regular at fencing tournaments, excelling in sabre. He won the Tournament of the association de Esgrimidores de Madrid at the Casino de Madrid in March 1925 and remained among the national sabre elite until his untimely death in December 1934.
Together with Isidro González de Mendoza and Fidel González Badia, he represented Spain in sabre at the Amsterdam 1928 Olympic Games, winning two and losing three and being eliminated in the First Round.
In the absence of finding the place of birth of a few Spanish Olympians, we can recognise Joaquín García Orcoyen with the honorary title of "first Olympian from Navarre", degree scroll .