2010 in Switzerland explained

Events in the year 2010 in Switzerland.

Incumbents

• President of the Swiss Confederation: Doris Leuthard
• President of the National Council: Jean-René Germanier
• President of the Swiss Council of States: Hansheiri Inderkum

Events

• 6 January: Extreme weather across Europe leads to dozens of deaths, including at least 7 as a result of an avalanche in Switzerland.^[1]
• 4 February: Switzerland agrees to accept two Chinese Muslim Uyghurs from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.^[2]
• 25 February: Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi calls for jihad against Switzerland after a referendum last year supported a ban on minarets and other rows between the two nations.^[3]
• 7 February: Voters in Switzerland take part in a referendum on whether to provide lawyers for non-human animals and other issues.^[4]
• 19 March: Switzerland ceases to deport asylum seekers in response to the death of a Nigerian man at Zürich Airport as he was being forcefully deported. Nigeria condemns the occurrence.^[5]
• 10 June: Max Goeldi, the Swiss businessman at the centre of a long-running diplomatic row between Libya and Switzerland, is released from prison in Tripoli.^[6]
• 14 June: The Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland rules that Romanian footballer Adrian Mutu has lost his final appeal in a five-year legal battle meaning he has to pay a record €17 million in damages for breaching his contract.^[7]
• 12 July: Switzerland rejects a request from the United States to extradite Franco–Polish film director Roman Polanski to face sentencing on charges of unlawful sex with a minor in 1977.^[8]
• 3–11 December – The 2010 European Curling Championships take place in Champéry.^[9]
• 5 December: Bank officials attempt to shut down an account opened by Julian Assange in Switzerland.^[10]

Arts and entertainment

• 63rd Locarno Film Festival

Sports

• 15 February: 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver: Dario Cologna secures Switzerland's first ever Olympic cross-country gold medal and Norway delivers its poorest ever cross-country Olympic performance in the men's 15km freestyle cross-country competition^[11]

Deaths

• 8 January – Raymond Kamber, 79, Olympic sprint canoer.^[12]
• 17 February – Roger-Émile Aubry, 86, Swiss-born Bolivian Roman Catholic prelate, Vicar Apostolic of Reyes (1973–1999).^[13]
• 25 February – Ernst Beyeler, 88, art collector.^[14]
• 26 February – Charles le Gai Eaton, 89, Swiss-born British diplomat and author.^[15]
• 27 February – Roger Veeser, 90, Olympic athlete.^[16]
• 2 April – Roman Bannwart, 90, theologian and musician.^[17]
• 14 April:
  • Erika Burkart, 88, author.^[18]
  • Alice Miller, 87, Polish-born Swiss author and psychologist.^[19]
• 15 April – Peter-Josef Schallberger, 78, farmer and politician.^[20]
• 16 April – Balthasar Burkhard, 65, photographer.^[21]
• 15 May – Loris Kessel, 60, racing driver.^[22]
• 18 May:
  • Iskender Alptekin, 48, politician^[23]
  • Karin Iten, 53, figure skater.
• 2 June – Marguerite Narbel, 92, biologist and politician, member of the Grand Council of Vaud.
• 28 June – Nicolas Hayek, 82, entrepreneur, founder and chairman of The Swatch Group.^[24]
• 8 July – Robert Freitag, 94, Austrian-born Swiss actor.
• 19 July – Antoinette Meyer, 90, Olympic silver medal-winning (1948) alpine skier.
• 11 August – Markus Liebherr, 62, businessman, owner of Southampton F.C.^[25]
• 15 September – Peter Stebler, 83, Olympic silver medal-winning (1948) rower.^[26]
• 21 September – Bernard Genoud, 68, Roman Catholic prelate, Bishop of Lausanne, Genève et Fribourg (1999–2010).^[27]
• 5 October – Steve Lee, 47, musician (Gotthard).^[28]
• 22 October – René Villiger, 79, painter.
• 25 October – Hans Arnold, 85, Swiss-born Swedish artist.^[29]
• 31 October – Max Barandun, 68, Olympic sprinter.^[30]
• 10 November – Georges Aeschlimann, 90, cyclist.^[31]
• 3 December – Hugues Cuénod, 108, tenor.^[32]
• 11 December:
  • Roger Nicole, 95, Swiss-born American Evangelical Christian theologian.^[33]
  • Peter Risi, 60, footballer.^[34]
• 27 December – Walter Balmer, 62, footballer.^[35]

Notes and References

1. News: 2010-01-06 . Snow brings disruption in Europe . 2024-01-20 . en-GB.
2. Web site: 2010-02-03 . Switzerland to take in two Guantanamo inmates . 2024-01-20 . SWI swissinfo.ch . en.
3. Web site: 2024-01-20 . The Times & The Sunday Times . 2024-01-20 . www.thetimes.co.uk . en.
4. Web site: 2010-03-07 . Pensions and animal rights top ballot sheets . 2024-01-20 . SWI swissinfo.ch . en.
5. News: 2010-03-19 . Swiss probe asylum seeker's death . 2024-01-20 . en-GB.
6. News: 2010-06-10 . Libya 'frees Swiss businessman Max Goeldi' . 2024-01-20 . BBC News . en-GB.
7. News: Association . Press . 2010-06-14 . Adrian Mutu forced to pay Chelsea £14.3m after losing last appeal . 2024-01-20 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
8. Web site: 2010-07-12 . Roman Polanski free after Swiss reject US extradition request . 2024-01-20 . The Telegraph . en.
9. Web site: Olympedia – Olympians Who Won a Medal at the European Curling Championships . www.olympedia.org . 4 February 2024.
10. News: Jones . Sam . 2010-12-06 . Julian Assange's Swiss bank account closed . 2024-01-20 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
11. News: 2010-02-15 . Cologna takes cross country gold . 2024-01-20 . en-GB.
12. Web site: An die Sektionen und Funktionäre des Schweizerischen Kanu-Verbands (SKV) . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120425232254/http://www.swisscanoe.ch/data/open/pdf/20100108_chr_Raymond_Kamber.pdf?datei_id=20100108_chr_Raymond_Kamber&PHPSESSID=1e21dd99aeb45c51f6744f453fe12f91 . 2012-04-25 . 2024-01-20.
13. Web site: Bishop Roger-Émile Aubry [Catholic-Hierarchy] ]. 2024-01-20 . www.catholic-hierarchy.org.
14. Web site: 2010-02-27 . Ernst Beyeler dies at 88; Swiss art collector . 2024-01-20 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
15. Web site: 2010-03-12 . Gai Eaton passes away - Arab News . 2024-01-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100312122846/http://arabnews.com/lifestyle/article23556.ece . 2010-03-12 .
16. Web site: 2020-04-18 . Roger Veeser Bio, Stats, and Results Olympics at Sports-Reference.com . 2024-01-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200418052731/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ve/roger-veeser-1.html . 2020-04-18 .
17. Web site: 2016-02-11 . Stiftsschule Einsiedeln . 2024-01-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160211103835/http://www.v2.stift.ch/news_823.shtml . 2016-02-11 .
18. Web site: derStandard.at . 2024-01-20 . www.derstandard.at.
19. News: Cowan-Jenssen . Sue . 2010-05-31 . Alice Miller obituary . 2024-01-20 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
20. Web site: 2010-04-16 . TODESFALL: Nidwaldner Alt-Ständerat gestorben . 2024-01-20 . Luzerner Zeitung . de.
21. Web site: 2010-04-17 . Photographer Burkhard dies . 2024-01-20 . SWI swissinfo.ch . en.
22. Web site: 2010-05-18 . Er wurde 60 Jahre alt: Schweizer F1-Pilot Loris Kessel gestorben - Formel 1 - Sport - Blick.ch . 2024-01-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100518203852/http://www.blick.ch/sport/formel1/schweizer-f1-pilot-loris-kessel-gestorben-146839 . 2010-05-18 .
23. Web site: 2011-09-04 . Iskender Alptekin verstorben . https://web.archive.org/web/20110904083126/http://www.arkah.de/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=321 . 2011-09-04 . 2024-01-20.
24. News: 2010-06-28 . Swatch founder Nicolas Hayek dies . 2024-01-20 . BBC News . en-GB.
25. News: 2010-08-11 . Southampton owner Liebherr dies . 2024-01-20 . en-GB.
26. Web site: 2017-07-01 . Peter Stebler Bio, Stats, and Results Olympics at Sports-Reference.com . 2024-01-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170701192926/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/st/peter-stebler-1.html . 2017-07-01 .
27. Web site: 2017-03-03 . Geneva's, Lausanne's Catholic bishop dies - GenevaLunch News . 2024-01-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170303123440/https://genevalunch.com/2010/09/22/genevas-lausannes-catholic-bishop-dies/ . 2017-03-03 .
28. Web site: agencies . swissinfo ch and . 2010-10-06 . Gotthard singer dies in motorcycle accident . 2024-01-20 . SWI swissinfo.ch . en.
29. News: Spektra . 2010-10-26 . Konstnären Hans Arnold är död . 2024-01-20 . Svenska Dagbladet . sv . 1101-2412.
30. Web site: 2020-04-18 . Max Barandun Bio, Stats, and Results Olympics at Sports-Reference.com . 2024-01-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200418011338/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ba/max-barandun-1.html . 2020-04-18 .
31. Web site: Archives . Cycling . Georges Aeschlimann . 2024-01-20 . www.cyclingarchives.com . en.
32. Web site: 2010-12-07 . Hugues Cuenod . 2024-01-20 . The Telegraph . en.
33. Web site: Between Two Worlds . 2024-01-20 . The Gospel Coalition . en-US.
34. Web site: 2010-12-12 . Peter Risi (60) gestorben . 2024-01-20 . Tages-Anzeiger . de.
35. Web site: Flyout FC Basel - Die offizielle Website . 2024-01-20 . www.fcb.ch . de-DE.