(ATR)A controversial yet influential figure in both the IOC and FIFA dies at the age of 100 – Joao Havelange.
The former FIFA president and IOC member was instrumental in bringing the Olympics to his home country Brazil. The Brazilian flag will be flown at half staff throughout the remainder of the Rio 2016 Olympics.
The two-sport Olympian - swimming in 1936 and water polo in 1952 - was an IOC member from 1963 to 2011 and the FIFA president from 1974 to 1998.
Although he did help modernize FIFA and doubled the size of the World Cup, Havelange is also implicated in the bribery and corruption scandals that have plagued the football federation for decades.
Click here to view photos from Havelange’s controversial career.
Click here to read more about his sports governance career.
Written by Kevin Nutley
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