The former long serving IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch died last night after being taken to hospital in Barcelona at the weekend suffering from acute heart problems.
89 year old Samaranch was appointed honorary life president of the International Olympic Committee when he stepped down as president in 2001, having run the IOC with absolute authority for two decades.
He took the Olympics into the era of professional sport, transforming the Games into a huge money spinner.
His successor Jacques Rogge described Samaranch as "a great man with an exceptional knowledge of sport who dedicated his life to Olympism".
And Sebastian Coe, chairman of the 2012 London Games organising committee said Samaranch was simply the most intuitive leader he's ever met.
