Giordano Abbondati

Giordano Abbondati was an Italian figure skater who won seven consecutive Italian Championships from 1962-68. He competed in several European and World Championships in the 1960s, in addition to the 1964 and 1968 Olympic Winter Games, at both of which he placed 14th. His best finish in seven European appearances (1961-66, 1968) was seventh in 1966. He was ninth that year at the Worlds, one of his four participations (1963, 1965-66, 1968) at that event.

Giordano retired from figure skating in 1968 to pursue a career in medicine but continued to be involved in figure skating as an international judge for many years. He married fellow judge Hely Rainesali of Finland in 1974 and they moved to Helsinki. He later moved to Britain with his family where he practised as a consultant anaesthesiologist at Central Middlesex Hospital in London, becoming chief of anaesthesiology and later clinical director of the pioneering Ambulatory Care and Diagnostics Centre, which opened in 1999. He suffered an untimely natural death in 2005.

Giordano Abbondati had the following placements at major international championships - Men: 1963 World Championships (17th); 1965 World Championships (14th); 1966 World Championships (9th); 1968 World Championships (16th); 1961 European Championships (14th); 1962 European Championships (13th); 1963 European Championships (15th); 1964 European Championships (8th); 1965 European Championships (11th); 1966 European Championships (7th); 1968 European Championships (11th).