London : Jacques Rogge, who oversaw an era of political and financial stability in the Olympic movement and pursued a hard line against doping during his 12 years as IOC president, has died, the Olympic organization said Sunday. He was 79.
The International Olympic Committee announced his death without giving details. Rogge’s health had visibly declined when he attended Olympic events since his presidency ended in 2013, reports AP.
Rogge, a former orthopedic surgeon from Belgium, guided the IOC through a period of relative calm and prosperity during a term that spanned three Summer Olympics and three Winter Games from 2001-2013.
He managed a steady growth in IOC revenues, even during the global economic crisis; made peace with the U.S. Olympic Committee after years of bitter squabbling over money-sharing; and — in what he considered his personal legacy — created the Youth Olympics.
Under Rogge’s watch, the IOC took the Olympics to new countries and continents — awarding the first Summer Games to South America (Rio de Janeiro in 2016) and the first Winter Games to Russia (Sochi 2014) and South Korea (Pyeongchang 2018).
Rogge was elected the IOC’s eighth president in Moscow on July 16, 2001, defeating four other candidates to succeed Juan Antonio Samaranch, a Spaniard who ran the committee for 21 years.
