Ernest Toussaint (6 March 1908 – 3 September 1942) was a Luxembourgish boxer who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics. He was born in Rumelange.
Toussaint represented Luxembourg in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. He defeated Karl Lutz of Austria in the round of 32 before being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the heavyweight class by eventual bronze medalist Erling Nilsen of Norway.[1]
He was shot in the Hinzert concentration camp (Germany) after being arrested as one of the leaders in the general strike against the Nazi occupation in Luxembourg on 31 August 1942.[2][1] The country had been protesting against the introduction of compulsory military service for young Luxembourgers in the German army.[3] Toussaint's widow and his two sons were deported to the work camp of Leubus in Silesia.[1]
In 1960 Ernest Toussaint was posthumously awarded the Cross of the Order of the Resistance.[4]
- ^ a b c Rodriguez, Ricardo (28 September 2019). "The story of a forgotten hero". Luxembourg Times. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
- ^ "Olympians Who Were Killed or Missing in Action or Died as a Result of War". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2018.
- ^ Ruckert, Ali, Vor 70 Jahren: Der Streik gegen die Nazis (2) Archived 3 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Zeitung vum Lëtzebuerger Vollek, 29. August 2012
- ^ Liste des personnes décorées jusqu´ici par arrêté grand-ducal à titre posthume de la Croix de l´Ordre de la Résistance 1940–1944., Mémorial du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg 27, 7 May 1960