Swedish Ski Fed Mourns Göran Nilsson

Göran Nilsson, Eksjö, has fallen asleep at the age of 79. With him, one of the great ideal forces in Swedish skiing and orienteering disappears – a leader with a rare ability to inspire.

Göran was a genuine associationist. Already in the 1960s he began his involvement in Eksjö SOK where he was a leader and board member for several decades, of which eleven years as chairman. Over the years he became a driving force behind events such as O-Ringen 2009 and Tiomila 2013, both in Eksjö – where he led the work as general secretary with great skill.

In skiing, his importance was profound and long-lasting. Göran sat on the board of the Småland Ski Association for almost three decades, 1982–2010, of which ten years as chairman.

His solid interest in sports and associations did not go unnoticed, and in 2012 he was elected to the board of the Swedish Ski Association – a position he held until 2020. During his last four years on the board, he served as vice chairman. He then continued his involvement as chairman of the nomination committee until 2022, where he contributed with his extensive experience.

Göran was for many years a central figure in the development of Swedish cross-country skiing. As chairman of the Swedish Ski Association's cross-country committee from 1994 to 2001, he had overall responsibility for the strategic development of cross-country activities. He was also chairman of the cross-country council, an advisory forum for Swedish cross-country skiing, between 2012 and 2020, in parallel with running the operational activities in the cross-country committee. Göran was also involved in the Swedish Ski Games, where he held the role of chairman for a time and also competition director for the Slottssprinten in Stockholm from 2011 to 2013.

One area that was close to his heart was the issue of facilities, something he worked hard for as a member of the Swedish Ski Association's facilities group for cross-country skiing - for a full 20 years, from 2000 to 2020.

His many years of efforts and great commitment were recognized through the Swedish Ski Association's gold medal of merit that he received in 2018 - as proof of the imprint he has left in Ski Sweden.

In addition to sports, music was a common thread throughout Göran's life. He was a passionate accordion fan. His career began early in Berne's orchestra and he was very active in the accordion club Knekten, which played on all sorts of occasions – from sing-along evenings and midsummer celebrations to when Christmas was danced out.

Göran was also a book publisher and recently contributed to collecting Eksjö's sports history in the book "From javelin record to dry swimming", which was published in December 2023.

He was strongly committed to society at large. As an active social democrat, he took part in local political work, and as chairman of PRO in Eksjö, he worked for the rights of the elderly and a vibrant pensioner movement. This non-profit commitment permeated his entire life – from the sports movement to the broader community building.

Göran Nilsson possessed a rare combination of clarity, warmth and humor. Whether he was leading a meeting, drawing up guidelines for an event or setting the tone with his accordion, he spread joy around him. As he himself once put it: "Non-profit leadership is the finest thing we have."

Göran's work will live on through all the people he has inspired and the organizations he has strengthened. A genuine association leader - with knowledge from the ground up in the sports association all the way up to national boards - combined with a big heart.

Our thoughts go out to Göran's loved ones.