Toivo Öhman was the son of Gunnar Öhman, a longtime communist Member of Parliament in Sweden. Not interested in politics, Toivo took up diving and won 43 Swedish titles, competing as a member of the national team for 19 years. During that time, he attended the Olympics twice, in 1952 and 1960, and finished 16th and 12th respectively in the platform event. By career he was a lawyer, specializing in labor law, but also worked as a diving administrator and television commentator. In the former capacity, he served with both the European Swimming League and the Fédération internationale de natation (now World Aquatics).