Žarko Dolinar

Žarko Dolinar
Nationality	Yugoslavia
Medal record Men's table tennis Competitor for Yugoslavia World Championships Silver 1955 Utrecht Singles Silver 1955 Utrecht Doubles Gold 1954 Wembley Doubles Bronze 1954 Wembley Mixed Doubles Silver 1953 Bucharest Mixed Doubles Bronze 1951 Vienna Team Bronze 1939 Cairo Singles Silver 1939 Cairo Team

Žarko Dolinar (July 3, 1920 – March 9, 2003), Ph.D., a native of Koprivnica, Yugoslavia (present-day Republic of Croatia) was a biologist by vocation and university academic who earned eight medals in the World Table Tennis Championships.

He was born in a family of Slovene economic immigrants to Croatia. In 1939, at the age of 18 he became the national champion of Yugoslavia. Dolinar was champion of the Independent State of Croatia multiple times, and also competed for its national team on nine occasions.

Dolinar is the only world sporting champion with a doctoral degree in biology. He graduated from the University of Zagreb Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in 1949, and received a doctorate in 1959. He was world doubles champion with his partner, Vilim Harangozo. Dolinar was also head of the Sports Science Committee for the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).

A university professor in both Zagreb and Basel, he was honored as one of the Righteous Among the Nations for saving, together with his brother Boris, about 300 Jews during World War II.

He died at the age of 82 in Basel, Switzerland.

Quotation

• "The first thing I have learned in sport is how to lose."^{[citation needed]}

See also

• List of table tennis players

External links

• "Tribute to Žarko Dolinar", STK Industrogradnja (in Croatian language)

Awards
Preceded by Perica Vlašić	Yugoslav Sportsman of the Year 1954	Succeeded by Bernard Vukas