Eli Wolff Obituary – Cause of Death: In loving memory of Eli Wolff, leading advocate for athletes with disabilities.
Eli represented the Olympic spirit as a teacher, innovator, advocate, athlete, leader, spouse, father, and friend. He skillfully merged the realms of sport and human rights, something no one else has ever done.
Eli had a long list of achievements in his field. Specifically, he made sure that sport was included in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and assisted in the establishment of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. The ESPY Award for Best Male and Female Athlete with a Disability was created by him in 2000.
Eli successfully petitioned for the assistance of several national disability sport groups, which helped Casey Martin, a professional golfer, win his landmark lawsuit against the PGA before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2001. He would play a key role in the development of the Dear Colleague Letter from the US Office of Civil Rights on January 25, 2013, which amended the standards for inclusion and equity for kids with disabilities in school-based sports. In 2019, Major League Baseball’s “Disabled List” was renamed to its “injured reserve list” as a result of his tenacious advocacy.
At the University of Connecticut, Eli taught in the Sport Management department and co-directed the Power of Sport Lab, a venue for fostering and amplifying creativity, inclusivity, and social change via sport. Additionally, he was a founding member of the Olympism Project, Athletes for Human Rights, and Disability in Sport International.
At the Paralympic Games in 1996 and 2004, Eli played on the United States Paralympic Soccer Team. Eli obtained his master’s degree in Olympic Studies from the German Sport University of Cologne after graduating from Brown University.
Eli had two lovely young children, Stella and Spencer, who were his partners in adventures, sports, and the arts. He was married to Cheri Blauwet, whom he adored. Nothing in the past several years had made him more proud than showing his children the world and sharing his adventures with them.