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Olympic Movement mourns death of His Holiness Pope Francis
Olympic Movement mourns death of His Holiness Pope Francis
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach today expressed the sporting world’s shared sense of loss at the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis. He was a constant supporter of the Olympic Movement and was awarded the Olympic Order in Gold in 2013 during a ceremony at the Vatican. The award was offered to the Pope and accepted in recognition of his understanding of the good that sport can do for young people and the desire to build peace.
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Published on 21 April 2025
Press Release
IOC News
His Holiness Pope Francis and IOC President Thomas Bach
© VaticanMedia
“With the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis, we are losing a great friend and supporter of the Olympic Movement. His support for the peace and solidarity mission of the Olympic Games and the refugee initiatives of the IOC has been unwavering,” the IOC President said.
“I got to know His Holiness as a very pensive intellectual who was humble and had a very good sense of humour. His deep passion for sport and the Olympic values was always obvious. I am forever grateful for the inspiration, encouragement and support he offered to the Olympic Movement in our meetings,” President Bach continued. The IOC President was welcomed by the Pope for private audiences on a number of occasions.
President Bach went on: “Throughout my tenure as IOC President, I have drawn great strength from his constant encouragement of the Olympic Games and our mission to build a better world through sport. His powerful voice in support of refugees is a shining example of his commitment, and it inspired me to create the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team for the Olympic Games Rio 2016. He has graciously followed and supported this initiative throughout three Olympic Games editions, encouraging its growth and impact. This ongoing encouragement also led to the creation of the Olympic Refuge Foundation in 2017.”
In 2016, the Vatican, the United Nations and the IOC organised the “Faith and Sport” conference, which was held under the Pope’s leadership. The “Sport for All” conference, which the Pope initiated and presided over in 2022, was another expression of the importance of the Pope’s commitment to sport.
IOC President Thomas Bach was received by His Holiness Pope Francis
© Vatican
Ahead of the recent Olympic Games Paris 2024, the Pope said that it would be a “joy to welcome the whole world” to the Games. He praised the power of these Olympic Games to unite the world, saying that they “may offer the opportunity, through sport, to bear witness to an authentic expression of fraternity, which the world greatly needs”.
During the final private audience he granted to the IOC President in January this year, His Holiness congratulated and thanked the IOC for the message of solidarity and peace conveyed by the Olympic Games Paris 2024, and joined the Olympic Movement’s call for peace.
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