It is with great sadness that ANOC has learned that former ANOC President, Mr Mario Vázquez Raña, has passed away at the age of 82. On behalf of ANOC and the entire NOC family we would like to express our deepest sympathies to his family.
Mr Mario Vázquez Raña played a pivotal role in the creation of ANOC in June 1979 during the Constitutive General Assembly in San Juan, Puerto Rico and served as ANOC President for the next 33 years. Under his leadership, ANOC grew to become a global organisation, representing and protecting the interests of over 200 NOCs worldwide. During this time Mario Vázquez Raña also served as President of the Pan American Sports Organisation (PASO) from 1975 and President of the Mexican Olympic Committee from 1974-2001.
Mr Mario Vázquez Raña was an IOC member from 1991-2012, President of the Olympic Solidarity Commission and represented the NOCs on the IOC Executive Board.
Over the last forty years, he made an exceptional contribution to the development of sport in the Americas and worldwide. He has been one of the most influential, respected and valued members of the NOC family and will be sorely missed by all.
ANOC President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah added:
“I have had the pleasure of personally knowing Mr Raña and also working with him for a number of years. He was a sports leader of great conviction and was greatly instrumental in bringing ANOC to the position it is in today. His contribution to the development of the NOCs and the Olympic Movement will be remembered for a long time.”
