MADRID, 18 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Italian Ottavio Cinquanta, honorary member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has died this Monday at the age of 83, as reported by the body in a statement.
Cinquanta was elected to the IOC in 1996. Two years earlier, in 1994, he was elected President of the International Skating Union (ISU), a position he held until 2016, when his IOC membership also ended. That same year, the international body elected him as an honorary member and the ISU Congress named him honorary president.
IOC President Thomas Bach noted that Cinquanta led the ISU “with great dedication and in-depth knowledge of all aspects of all disciplines in his Federation.” “This made him a highly respected leader, not only within the ISU but also among all Winter Sports Federations,” he acknowledged.
“He was an always reliable friend, whose advice was always honest. At times, we had interesting discussions but always friendly,” he added.
With a 22-year term at the helm of the ISU, Cinquanta was the body’s second longest-serving president and was responsible for several innovations during his presidency, including the introduction of the short track to the Olympic program, the creation of the Grand ISU Figure Skating Award in 1995 and the reform of the figure skating scoring system in 2004.
A speed skater in his youth, the Italian was also a referee at international competitions, the World Championships and the Winter Olympics. His background in business administration led him to management positions in the financial and chemical industries throughout his professional career.
In addition, he served in various official roles in the Italian Ice Sports Federation and the ISU, in the Short Track and Speed Skating sections. Within the Italian Federation, he was president of the Technical Committee (1973-1980) and vice-president (1984-1988).
Upon becoming a member of the ISU in 1975, he also joined its Short Track Technical Committee, which he chaired from 1984 to 1992. In this role, he was instrumental in the development of the discipline and key to its inclusion in the Olympic program. Short track speed skating was featured as a demonstration sport at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics and was included on the official program at Albertville 1992.
“The IOC expresses its deepest condolences to the family of Ottavio Cinquanta. As a sign of respect, the Olympic flag will fly at half-staff at the Olympic House in Lausanne for three days,” the agency concluded in a statement.