Former Olympic and sports official Kevan Gosper of Australia dies at 90

SYDNEY — As Olympic officials gather in Paris for the Summer Games, one of their most eminent long-time colleagues died on Friday.

The Australian Olympic Committee said Kevan Gosper, a veteran sports administrator and former high-ranking IOC member, died after a short illness. He was 90.

The International Olympic Committee said Gosper was a “distinguished and influential figure in the Olympic Movement.”

Flags were lowered to half-staff as a mark of respect at the IOC’s offices and the Olympic Museum in its Swiss home city Lausanne, the Olympic body said.

Gosper won an Olympic silver medal on Australia’s 4-x-400-meter track relay team at the 1956 Melbourne Games and also competed at the Rome Olympics in 1960 before becoming more well-known as one of the country’s and world’s top sports administrators.

The former Australian Olympic Committee president was an IOC member from 1977 to 2013, when he was made an honorary member.

Gosper served on the IOC Executive Board for 17 years through 2003, including two stints as a vice president. He was IOC chairman of the Press Commission from 1989 to 2013.

“I had the privilege of working closely with him,” IOC president Thomas Bach said in a statement. “With his great communication skills, he often served as a spokesperson for the IOC.”

He was the inaugural chairman of the Australian Institute of Sport from 1980, served as Australian Olympic Federation president and was a pivotal figure in delivering Sydney’s Olympics in 2000 when serving as vice president of the organizing committee.

AOC President Ian Chesterman said Gosper left an indelible mark on Australian and world sport.

“Kevan was one of the true giants of the Olympic movement, not just in Australia but globally,” Chesterman said in the statement. “His loss will be felt enormously by so many of his friends who are gathering in Paris for the Olympic Games.

“There will be so many there from across the world who will have a heavy heart today with the news of Kevan’s passing.”

Gosper was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1989 as a general member for his role as a sports administrator.

“Kevan’s impact on Australian sport, particularly through the Olympic movement, was extraordinary,” Sport Australia Hall of Fame chairman and America’s Cup-winning sailor John Bertrand said in a statement. “Kevan’s legacy will forever inspire us.”

The AOC said Gosper was survived by his wife, Judy, and children Dean, Brett, Richard and Sophie.

His sons also took senior roles in governance of Olympic sports. Brett Gosper was chief executive of rugby’s governing body and now works for the NFL in Europe. Dean Gosper was a member of the council at the International Ski and Snowboard Federation.