Lausanne, Switzerland (SportsNetwork.com) - The International Olympic Committee announced Friday that three-time Olympic gold medalist and committee member Jean-Claude Killy is stepping down after two decades of service.
The 70-year-old alpine ski legend joined the IOC in 1995. He was a member of a number of IOC commissions, most recently chairing the Coordination Commission for the Sochi Games in 2014.
Killy is best known for winning three gold medals at the 1968 Grenoble Games. He also won the world skiing championships three times between 1966 and 1968, was crowned professional world champion in 1973 and won the World Cup in 1967 and 1968.
"On behalf of the entire Olympic Movement I would like to express our sincere thanks and great appreciation for Jean-Claude's outstanding achievements throughout his Olympic career," said IOC president Thomas Bach in a statement. "Having already been a sporting legend as an athlete, he later dedicated himself to the IOC, its values and ideals -- also with great success. In this respect, I could mention many of his accomplishments, but I know that he himself would consider his unique contribution to the fantastic success of the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter Games as his greatest achievement. Jean-Claude was a great ambassador of the Olympic ideals and I thank him for his many years of excellent service to the Olympic Movement."
President Bach will propose that Killy be made an honorary IOC member at the next IOC session in Monaco in December.
[SportsNetwork.com]
