Olympic Chronicle

The commander's story. A journey through the last decades of national sport.

José Vicente Moura, one of the most prominent figures in national sports management, held positions of high responsibility in clubs, federations, and member-owned or state sports organisations, including the Portuguese Olympic Committee, of which he was president for about two decades.

This chronicle does not aim to glorify the author for his achievements or for what he left as a legacy to national sport. On the contrary, it records the collective work of athletes, coaches, and sports administrators, of sports associations as a whole, revealing what, for various reasons, escaped the media or remained in the shadow of the official record.

With a rare honesty and frankness, José Vicente Moura does not hide under the guise of false modesty the satisfaction he derived from the successes to which he contributed or was the sole author, while, never backing down when it came to taking responsibility for mistakes or failures, he explains one and the other with the same detail, without falling into the temptation of the easy excuse or forced relativisation.

Crónica Olímpica is the epic of a man who devoted himself to the task of dignifying and growing Portuguese sport, a task he performed with honour, sometimes managing to overcome obstacles or, on other occasions, falling short of the desired success, but always with an unwavering determination, guided by the values of respect for humanity and the interests of the country.