President Ma Ying-jeou and Vice President Vincent C. Siew on April 22 expressed their condolences on the passing of honorary International Olympic Committee (IOC) president for life Juan Antonio Samaranch. Premier Wu Den-yi and Sports Affairs Council Minister Tai Hsia-ling also asked the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee to pass along their condolences.
President Ma recalled that he received a certificate issued by IOC President Samaranch after he ran a marathon on November 12, 1992 marking the completion of the northern section of Taiwan's second freeway. The president said that he remembers to this day the thrill he had in receiving this certificate. President Ma said that his thoughts are with the Samaranch family.
According to foreign press reports from the evening of April 21, Mr. Samaranch passed away from heart failure at a Barcelona hospital at the age of 89. Mr. Samaranch served seven terms as IOC president from 1980 to 2001. Born into a wealthy business family in Barcelona, Mr. Samaranch had long served as a diplomat. After becoming IOC president, Mr. Samaranch devoted himself to making the IOC the world's most prominent and powerful athletic organization. With his background in business, he was able to successfully introduce corporate sponsorship into the Olympic Games. The success of the Los Angeles Olympic Games triggered interest among many countries around the world in holding the Olympics and participating in the IOC.
During his tenure as IOC president, Mr. Samaranch presided over the opening and closing ceremonies of five Summer Olympic Games – Los Angeles in 1984, Seoul in 1988, Barcelona in 1992, Atlanta in 1996, and Sydney in 2000. Mr. Samaranch became the most instrumental figure in the modern Olympics movement. In 2001 when he left his post, he was appointed honorary IOC president for life.
Mr. Samaranch had a deep impact on athletics involving Taiwan and mainland China. His negotiation skills played a big role in working out an arrangement for the two sides to take part in the Los Angeles Olympic Games. This enabled Taiwan's young athletes to return to international competition. In a gesture to express appreciation to Mr. Samaranch for promoting interaction between the Olympic committees on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, former President Lee Teng-hui on October 28, 1993 bestowed on him the Order of Propitious Clouds with Grand Cordon.