The ceremony honoring Jacques Rogge last week would probably have won his approval. About an hour long, just 50 people took socially distanced places Nov. 11 in the so-called stadium of Olympic House in Lausanne. It was meant to be a low key remembrance of the former IOC president who died August 29 at home in Belgium. He was 79.
Rogge would not have wanted a big fuss for a ceremony in his honor. He was a gentle man without pretense or affectation. There were but four speakers, including his successor Thomas Bach and Director General Christophe DeKepper who began his 20 years at the IOC as Rogge’s right-hand man, a fellow Belgian with a shared interest in rugby. Canton de Vaud sport councilor Philippe Leuba and Lausanne Mayor Grégoire Junod were the other speakers.
Selections from a Bach cello suite provided music as singularly precise as were the hands of Dr. Rogge, the celebrated orthopeadic surgeon. He publicly declared his medical career over upon his election as IOC President in 2021.
The symbolism of the location of the service could not be overlooked. The indoor amphitheater looks out on the garden of the Olympic House and a statue of IOC founder Pierre DeCoubertin. The state of the art headquarters building opened in 2019, the result of planning launched more than 10 years ago by then president Rogge. The memorial last week was the first of its kind for the new building,
The event was not disclosed on the public calendar of the IOC to purposely limit attention. Covid19 protocols in effect in Switzerland and the IOC were an unavoidable factor that prevented a larger gathering. Coming more than two months after Rogge’s death, the event could not be put off any longer, Around the Rings is told.
Spouse Anne Bovijn, son Philip and daughter Caroline made the trip to Lausanne.
IOC members were limited to the few who were in Lausanne at the time for commission meetings and the Executive Board. Whether a larger remembrance is planned, it might occur in Beijing prior to the February 4 opening of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Many of the 100+ IOC members will be there at that time for the IOC Session preceding the Games, the first to be held since Rogge died.
A special edition of IOC magazine Olympic Review dedicated to Jacques Rogge is now published and can be viewed on line at www.Olympics.com
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