We are saddened to announce the passing of ISOH founder member Peter Matthews, who has died aged 78.
He was one of the most respected historians of athletics and Olympic sport.
Best known for his work in chronicling athletics, he was the editor of the International Athletics Annual, regarded as the ultimate record of the sport each year
Peter had worked for Guinness where he graduated to the publishing arm and became sports editor for four years of the Guinness Book of Records.
He began announcing at athletics meetings in 1968 and was the stadium announcer for both the 1970 and 2002 Commonwealth Games.
He had also worked on Olympics as a member of the Press team including for the 1996 Centennial Games in Atlanta.
He was a television commentator for the World television feed at the 2012 Olympics which gave him great pleasure.
Peter had become a familiar voice in broadcasting with BBC Radio. He was a member of the team from 1975 to 1985 alongside lead commentator Alan Parry and joined up with Parry again in 1985 when Independent Television Sport (ITV Sport) became the main channel for athletics in Britain.
He was an authoritative voice in their coverage.
He later commentated for World Athletics and had covered every World Championships since their inception in 1983.
A long-time member of the Association of Track and Field Statisticians and Chairman of the National Union of Track Statisticians in the United Kingdom, he was also co-publisher of the Athletics International newsletter with the late Mel Watman.
He also wrote Athletics Facts and Feats and Athletics the Records, both with Guinness.
Each was a valuable source of reference.
He was generous in spreading knowledge of the sport he loved so much with others.
Matthews also edited the encyclopaedia of sports results and records for Guinness, a volume which gave details of world champions in a wide range of sports.
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