| Arthur Whitford | |
| Nationality: | British |
| Sport: | Gymnastics |
| Birth Date: | 2 July 1908 |
| Birth Place: | Swansea, Wales |
| Death Place: | Swansea, Wales |
Arthur Whitford (2 July 1908 - 7 January 1996) was a British gymnast.[1] He competed in seven events at the 1928 Summer Olympics,[2] and was a ten-time British national champion.[3] [4]
Whitford was born in July 1908 in Swansea.[1] He began to take up gymnastics at the age of 12, at his local church club.[5] Following the closure of the club, he joined the gym club at the YMCA in Swansea.[4] Two weeks after joining, he represented the club in the local boys' final.[4]
He competed in gymnastics during the 1920s and 1930s, becoming the national champion for nine consecutive years from 1928 to 1936,[4] and winning his tenth national title in 1939.[1] Whitford also won two Irish titles, four Scottish titles, and nine Welsh titles.[4]
Whitford was part of the Great Britain team that competed at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam.[6] His best individual performance was 61st place in the men's vault,[7] with the British team finishing in eleventh place overall.[8]
After initially stopping to compete competitively when he won his ninth national title in 1936, Whitford returned to competition two years later.[1] His aim was to compete at the 1940 Summer Olympics in Helsinki,[9] but the games were cancelled due to World War II.[10] As there was no competitions being held because of the war, Whitford became a coach, and coached his half-brother Jack.[1] Jack would also go on to represent Great Britain at the Olympics, with him taking part at the 1952 Summer Olympics.[11] Arthur Whitford also coached the British teams at the 1948 Summer Olympics and the 1952 Summer Olympics.[12]
Whitford later owned a shoe shop in his hometown of Swansea,[13] and died in January 1996, at the age of 87.[1] He was inducted into the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.[14]