“Mario Vázquez Raña dedicated a great part of his life to Olympic sport”, said IOC President Thomas Bach. “He served over decades with great commitment as President of PASO, even until his last moments. He had outstanding merit within the Olympic Movement and we will always remember him as a great Olympic leader. The Olympic flag at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne will be flown at half-mast in his honour”, he added.
A member of the IOC from 1991 to 2012, Vázquez Raña played a central role in promoting sport and the Olympic Movement in his home nation of Mexico, the Americas and around the world.
Vázquez Raña headed the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) from 1979 to 2012, and was Chairman of the Pan American Sports Organisation (PASO) from 1975 until his death.
His sport of choice was shooting, and Vázquez Raña participated in shooting competitions at the national and international level. He went on to become President of the Mexican Shooting Federation (1969-1974) and President of the American Shooting Confederation (1973-1979). He was also Vice-President of the Mexican Sports Confederation (1973-1976) and President of the Mexican National Olympic Committee (1974-2001).
A successful businessman and publisher, Vázquez Raña was President of the Board of Directors of the Hermanos Vázquez Company (1960-1980); President and Director General of the Organización Editorial Mexicana (1975-2015), the largest newspaper company in Latin America; President and Director General of Cartones Ponderosa (2001-2015); and owner of United Press International (1985-1988).
The IOC expresses its deepest sympathies to Mario Vázquez Raña’s family.