Jacques Rogge, IOC president for 12 years, dead at 79
LONDON (AP) — Jacques Rogge approached the job of running the Olympics the same way he approached his work as a physician: Listen, analyze and consult.
Before taking over as president of the International Olympic Committee, Rogge, whose death was announced, Sunday, was an orthopedic surgeon who saw 5,000 patients and performed 800 operations a year at his medical practice in Ghent, Belgium.
Rogge’s medical background heavily influenced his leadership style during his 12-year reign in the most powerful post in international sports, bringing stability and a steady hand to the IOC after its worst ethics scandal. He also pursued a hard line against doping as IOC president.
While his predecessor, Spaniard Juan Antonio Samaranch, operated in an autocratic and secretive fashion, Rogge embraced a more open, democratic and collegial style. Measured and unpretentious, he described himself as a “sober” leader.
“In medicine, you first listen to your patient. You listen to what he has to tell you, then you do the examination, you analyze, then you make a diagnosis, then you come up with the treatment,” Rogge said in an interview with The Associated Press in 2002.
“I’m definitely a listener. I consult with people and try to make an analysis. I won’t do it alone. I’m a team worker.”
The IOC announced his death without giving details. Rogge’s health had visibly declined when he attended Olympic events since his presidency ended in 2013.
“First and foremost, Jacques loved sport and being with athletes — and he transmitted this passion to everyone who knew him,” Thomas Bach, Rogge’s successor as president, said in an IOC statement. “His joy in sport was infectious.”
A three-time Olympian in sailing, Rogge earned praise for his calm in the often turbulent world of Olympic politics but also faced outside criticism for not being tough enough on human rights issues with China and Russia.
He managed a steady growth in IOC revenues, even during the global economic crisis.