It is with great sadness we share that David Shalit MBE has passed away.
David Shalit passed away on the 9th July, and his funeral took place on the 13th July.
David officiated the 1948 Olympic Games in London, aged just 17. He is believed to be one of the youngest ever Olympic judges.
He was also a successful sabre fencer as a young man. David was runner-up to Errol Christies in the 1948 Junior Sabre Championships. In the the following year at the Senior British Sabre Championships, he came second to Roger Tredgold, beating four-time British champion Gordon Pilbrow into third place – a remarkable result for an 18-year-old. At the World Maccabiah Games in Israel, he was in the British team that came first overall, winning the foil and epee team events and coming second in sabre.
David was interviewed as part of the April 2024 edition of The Sword, in which he, his daughter Belinda, and fencing historian Malcolm Fare discussed David’s life as a judge and fencer. The full interview can be read here.
Our thoughts are with David’s family and friends at this difficult time.
