Beijing, China, September 1, 2021: President Xi Jinping has sent a message of condolence to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach over the passing of former IOC President Jacques Rogge, Xinhua News reports.
Rogge, 79, passed away on Sunday, August 29. He served as the eighth IOC President from 2001 to 2013 and made outstanding contributions to deepening friendly cooperation between the IOC and China and the successful hosting of the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008.
The 2008 Beijing Olympics were deemed a great success, and Rogge, as IOC President at the time, was full of praise for the organisation of the Games in his closing ceremony address.
He described the 16 days of competition as “glorious” and the venues as “dazzling” and added: “Through these Games, the world learned more about China, and China learned more about the world. These were truly exceptional Games.”
Beijing will become the first city to host the Summer and Winter Olympics when the Chinese capital welcomes the Winter Games next February.