Jacques Rogge, Count Rogge (born 2 May 1942) is a Belgian sports functionary. He is the eighth and current president of the
International Olympic CommitteeThe International Olympic Committee is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas on 23 June 1894. Its membership consists of the 205 National Olympic Committees....
(IOC).
Born in
GhentGhent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
, Rogge is an
orthopaedic surgeonOrthopedic surgery or orthopedics is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system...
by profession. Rogge was educated at the University of Ghent. He competed in
yachtingYachting refers to recreational sailing or boating, the specific act of sailing or using other vessels for sporting.-Competitive Sailing:...
in the
1968The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
,
1972The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, in what was then West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
and
1976 Summer OlympicsThe 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976...
, and played on the
Belgian national rugby union teamThe Belgium national rugby union team is the third tier rugby playing nation of Belgium. They first played in 1930 and have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup. Rugby union in Belgium is administered by the Belgian Rugby Federation...
. 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.
Jacques Rogge, Count Rogge (born 2 May 1942) is a Belgian sports functionary. He is the eighth and current president of the
International Olympic CommitteeThe International Olympic Committee is an organization based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas on 23 June 1894. Its membership consists of the 205 National Olympic Committees....
(IOC).
Biography
Born in
GhentGhent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
, Rogge is an
orthopaedic surgeonOrthopedic surgery or orthopedics is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system...
by profession. Rogge was educated at the University of Ghent. He competed in
yachtingYachting refers to recreational sailing or boating, the specific act of sailing or using other vessels for sporting.-Competitive Sailing:...
in the
1968The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
,
1972The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, in what was then West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
and
1976 Summer OlympicsThe 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976...
, and played on the
Belgian national rugby union teamThe Belgium national rugby union team is the third tier rugby playing nation of Belgium. They first played in 1930 and have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup. Rugby union in Belgium is administered by the Belgian Rugby Federation...
. 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
knightedRidder is a noble title in the Netherlands and Belgium. The collective term for its holders in a certain locality is the Ridderschap . In the Netherlands and Belgium no female equivalent exists...
, and later elevated to
CountA count is a nobleman in European countries; his wife is a countess. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The British equivalent is an earl...
, by King
Albert II of BelgiumAlbert II is the current King of the Belgians and a constitutional monarch. He is a member of the royal house "of Belgium"; formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He is the younger son of King Leopold III and his first wife, Princess Astrid of Sweden...
. In his free time, Rogge is known to admire modern art and is an avid reader of historical and scientific literature.
Rogge was elected as president of the IOC on 16 July 2001 at the 112th IOC Session in Moscow as the successor to
Juan Antonio SamaranchJuan Antonio Samaranch Torelló, Marquess of Samaranch is a Spanish sports official who served as the 7th President of the International Olympic Committee from 1980 to 2001.-Biography:...
, who had led the IOC since 1980.
Under his leadership, the IOC aims to create more possibilities for developing countries to bid for and host the Olympic Games. Rogge believes that this vision can be achieved in the not too distant future through government backing and new IOC policies that constrain the size, complexity and cost of hosting the Olympic Games.
At the
2002 Winter OlympicsThe 2002 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIX Olympic Winter Games were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States...
in Salt Lake City, Rogge became the first IOC President to stay in the Olympic village, to enjoy closer contact with the athletes.
He is maried to Anne; they have two grown-up children. His son Philippe is the current delegation leader of the Belgian Olympic Committee.
Controversies
For the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Rogge announced in mid-July 2008 that there would be no Internet censorship by the mainland authorities: "for the first time, foreign media will be able to report freely and publish their work freely in China. " However, by 30 July 2008, IOC spokesman
Kevan GosperRichard Kevan Gosper AO is a former Australian athlete who mainly competed in the 400 metres. He is currently the Vice President of the International Olympic Committee.-1956 Summer Olympics:...
announced that the Internet would indeed be censored for journalists. Gosper, who said he had not heard about this, suggested that high IOC officials (probably including the Dutch
Hein VerbruggenHein Verbruggen , is a Dutch honorary member of the International Olympic Committee since 2008. Previously, he was a member of the IOC and Chairman of the Coordination Commission for the Games of the XXIX Olympics in Beijing in 2008.He was president of the Union Cycliste Internationale from 1991...
and IOC French director-general Gilbert Felli, and most likely with Rogge's knowledge) had made a secret deal with Chinese officials to allow the censorship, without the knowledge of either the press or most members of the IOC. Rogge later denied that any such meeting had taken place, but did not insist that China adhere to its prior assurances that the Internet would not be censored.
Rogge has been criticized for rebuking
Usain BoltUsain St. Leo Bolt, OJ, C.D. , is a Jamaican sprinter and a three-time Olympic gold medalist. He holds the world record for the 100 metres, the 200 metres and, along with his teammates, the 4x100 metres relay. He also holds the Olympic record for all three of these races...
's jubilation after winning multiple track and field events in Beijing. Yahoo Sports columnist, Dan Wetzel, who covered the Games described him as "...a classic stiff-collared bureaucrat," and further contended that "[the IOC] has made billions off athletes such as Bolt for years, yet he has to find someone to pick on." In an interview with Irish Times' reporter Ian O'Riordan, Rogge clarified, "Maybe there was a little bit of a misunderstanding. […] What he does before or after the race I have no problem with. I just thought that his gesticulation during the race was maybe a little disrespectful."
Rogge was also criticized by the Greek society for reportedly telling the President of the
Hellenic Olympic CommitteeHellenic Olympic Committee also known as Comité Olympique Hellénique is the governing Olympic body of Greece. It is one of the oldest National Olympic Committees in the world, being founded in 1894 and recognised in 1895....
Minos Kyriakou that "Greece won the gold medal in doping" (referring to the disqualification of several Greek athletes due to use of performance enhancing drugs), however authenticity of this alleged quote was denied by Kyriakou.. In October 2009 he is re-elected for a new term as President of the IOC. In 2013 he is not eligible for a new term.