Death of HRH the Infanta Pilar de Borbon, IOC honorary member

January 9, 2020

It is with great sadness that the International Olympic Committee has learnt of the death of HRH the Infanta Doña Pilar de Borbón, IOC honorary member, at the age of 83.

The Infanta, who practiced equestrian sports in her youth, was President of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) from 1994 to 2006, a role that led her to becoming an IOC member in Spain between 1996 and 2006.

President Bach paid tribute to HRH the Infanta Doña Pilar de Borbón as, "an extraordinary personality in the worldwide Olympic Movement. In everything she did, her great passion for sport always shone through. I will always remember her as a kind and warm-hearted friend, who was guided by the Olympic Values with an unwavering commitment to promoting the role of sport in society," he said.

Doña Pilar de Borbón was the older sister of former King of Spain Juan Carlos I, and aunt of the King of Spain and Olympic athlete, Felipe VI. Over the years, she acted as manager of the family business investments and member of several boards of directors in Spain and France.

A member of the IOC Sport and Environment Commission between 1999 and 2006 and honorary member of the IOC since 2006, Pilar de Borbón also served the Olympic Movement as an Executive Board member of the Spanish National Olympic Committee and Honorary President of the Spanish Equestrian Federation.

Between 2007 and 2009, she chaired the pan-European Federation for Cultural Heritage, "Europa Nostra", constituted to preserve Europe's cultural and natural heritage.

Well known for her charitable work, she was actively involved in a number of charities, including the Red Cross, Friends of the Monasteries, Foundation for the Defence of Life, Nuevo Futuro, Action Aid, and the Foundation for Investigation and Training in Oncology.

The IOC expresses its deepest sympathies to the Royal family. As a mark of respect the Olympic flag is flying at half-mast at the IOC headquarters.

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The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit independent international organisation made up of volunteers, which is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of 3.4 million US dollars goes to help athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world.

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