Erik Bergqvist


Erik Gustaf "Berka" Bergqvist was a Swedish water polo player and freestyle swimmer who competed in the 1912 and 1920 Summer Olympics; he was part of the Swedish water polo teams that won silver and bronze medals, respectively. In 1912 he also competed in the 100 m freestyle.
Besides water sports, Bergqvist won a Swedish football title with AIK. He was one of three founders of the company AB Tipstjänst, which in 1934 received the state license to organize gambling and betting in sport, as those were going out of control in the 1920s–30s. The company was nationalized in 1943, and Bergqvist was offered the post of its Director General, on condition that he joins the Swedish Social Democratic Party. He refused, and was appointed as inspector general instead.