He held his nerve when he refused emotional calls to hold a minute's silence at the opening ceremony of the London Games to mark the 40th anniversary of the murder of 11 Israelis by the Black September terror group at the 1972 Olympics.

Instead Rogge－who had been competing on that day against an Israeli yachtsman－paid his own homage of a minute's silence, a few days before the opening, in front of the Olympic Truce Wall in the athletes' village.

Under his own presidency, tragedy struck the Games.

Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died in a practice run prior to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games, which produced a rare moment of public emotion as Rogge brushed aside tears in giving his tribute to the young athlete.

"That was the worst moment and one that I will never forget," he said as he looked back on his career.

True to the last, though, Rogge remained impassive as the members heaped praise on him, fighting it off with his self-deprecatory wit.

No more so than when the man who replaced him as president, Bach, said he would disobey him on the eve of his stepping down and pay him a compliment.

"Your disobedience tells me that I have reached the level of irrelevance," said Rogge.

Agencies