Sergio Santander

Sergio Santander was a successful race car driver in his youth and founded the Chilean motor sport federation in 1965. Santander became director-treasurer of the Chilean National Olympic Committee and was made vice-president in 1970, first vice-president in 1984, and President in 1988.

Santander was named a Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1992, the first Member from Chile in seven years. Santander also entered politics, running for the Chilean Parliament in 1993 for mayor of Talca in southern Chile.

In January 1999 Santander was implicated in the Olympic Bribery Scandal and accused of taking money from the bid committee for the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. Santander admitted that he had received $4,700 from bid committee chair Tom Welch but that it was a personal contribution for his electoral campaigns. Santander was expelled from the IOC in March 1999 by a vote of 76-12 at the IOC Session. He also stepped down concurrently from his position as Chilean NOC President.