Jacques Rogge

Vocation

Notable

Traits

Family

Belgian orthopedic surgeon and former Olympic sailor; an executive; named the new President of the International Olympic Committee on 7/16/2001. Rogge’s father and grandfather were both involved in professional sports. His grandfather was a turn-of-the-century cyclist, and his father was a track and field athlete as well as a rower. Sailing was his father’s choice of a recreational activity, and, as a result, Rogge began sailing when he was only three or four years old. After completing his early education, he attended the Université Libre in Brussels and the University of Ghent, earning a Doctor of Medicine and specializing in sports medicine and orthopedic surgery. He sailed his way to a world championship, and then went on to sail in three Olympics, 1968 in Mexico, 1972 in Munich and 1976 in Montreal. Although at one point he was ranked between eighth and 12th in the world, his best finish was 14th place, achieved during the Munich Games. Additionally he played rugby for the Belgian National Team for approximately ten years. Rogge became President of the European Olympic Games in 1989, a position he held until his appointment to the IOC. His commitment to the integrity of the Games is strong, and he plans to fight any sort of corruption in order to defend the values of the sport itself. Rogge is married to Anne Bovyn; they have two children. Link to Wikipedia biography