His Excellency The Count Rogge |
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Jacques Rogge
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Honorary President of the International Olympic Committee | |
Assumed office 10 September 2013 |
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President | Thomas Bach |
Preceded by | Vacant, last holder Juan Antonio Samaranch (2010) |
8th President of the International Olympic Committee | |
In office 16 July 2001 – 10 September 2013 |
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Preceded by | Juan Antonio Samaranch |
Succeeded by | Thomas Bach |
Personal details | |
Born |
Ghent, Belgium |
2 May 1942
Nationality | Belgian |
Spouse(s) | Anne Rogge, Countess Rogge |
Children | One son, one daughter |
Alma mater | University of Ghent |
Profession |
Orthopedic surgeon Sports administrator |
Religion | Roman Catholic |
Jacques Jean Marie Rogge, Count Rogge (French: [ʒɑk ʁɔ.ge]; Dutch: [ˈrɔɣə]; born 2 May 1942) is a Belgian sports administrator and physician who served as the eighth president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 2001 to 2013. In 2013, the IOC announced that Rogge would become their Honorary President.
Born in Ghent, Belgium, under the Nazi-occupation, Rogge is by profession an orthopedic surgeon and was educated at the Jesuit private school Sint-Barbaracollege and the University of Ghent..
Rogge is a noted athlete in his home country. He was a 16-time Belgian national champion in rugby and a one-time yachting world champion. He also competed in the Finn class of sailing at the Summer Olympic Games in 1968, 1972, and 1976. In October 2016, The British School of Brussels named their new Sports Centre in his honour.
Rogge served as President of the Belgian Olympic Committee from 1989 to 1992, and as President of the European Olympic Committees from 1989 to 2001. He became a member of the IOC in 1991 and joined its Executive Board in 1998. He was knighted in 1992, and in 2002 made a Count in the Belgian nobility by King Albert II. On 25 February 2014, The Princess Royal appointed him as an Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) at Buckingham Palace for his years of service to the Olympics and in particular for his work on the London 2012 Olympic Games.