Memorable Manitobans: Svein Olafur Sigfusson (1912-1992)

Athlete, businessman.

Born in Lundar, Manitoba, son of Skuli Sigfusson, he was an outstanding athlete, who won a bronze medal in the discus at the 1950 British Empire Games. He was also a Canadian champion hammer thrower. He won nine Manitoba championships and nine Canadian championships in the years he competed in the Amateur Athletics Union. For many years he ran a transportation company in northern Manitoba which operated on a road system of 3,500 miles; most of this road system had been developed by Sigfusson. The company employed over 400 people, nearly half of whom were of Native origin. He received the Manitoba Centennial Medal in 1970, the Order of Canada in 1974, and was elected to the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 1982. In 1992 he published Sigfusson’s Roads, describing his northern transportation network.

He is a member of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.

More information:

Svein Olafur Sigfusson, Manitobans Who Made A Difference, Manitoba Historic Resources

Source:

Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by J. M. Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.

Profile revised: 19 February 2010

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