Death of Judge Kéba Mbaye, IOC Honorary Member since 2002

IOC Press Release - 12 January 2007

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was deeply saddened to learn of the death last night of Judge Kéba Mbaye, aged 82.
 
Born in Kaolack (Senegal) in 1924, and a former Vice-President of the International Court of Justice, Judge Kéba Mbaye had been President of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) since 1983 and Chairman of the IOC Ethics Commission since 1999.
 
An IOC member from 1973 to 2002, Kéba Mbaye was also an IOC Vice-President (1988-1992, 1998-2002) and an Executive Board member (1984-1988, 1993-1998). He chaired numerous commissions, including Apartheid and Olympism (1989-1992), Sport and Law (1995-2002), Juridical (1993-2002) and Nominations (2000-2002).
 
A man of letters and the law, he was the author of works such as “Les réalités du monde noir et les Droits de l’Homme” (Realities of the Black World and Human Rights), “Les droits de l’Homme en Afrique” (Human Rights in Africa), and “le CIO et l’Afrique du Sud – Analyse et illustration d’une politique sportive humaniste” (The IOC and South Africa – Analysis and Illustration of a Humanist Sports Policy).
 
“Kéba Mbaye was one of those men whose humanity and charisma mark you for life”, said the IOC President, who is today concluding his first trip of the year to Africa. “Thanks to his extraordinary eloquence, he could communicate his love of Olympism and his unshakeable faith in humanity and its ability to build a better world. His devotion to the Olympic Movement and its values was unfailing. We have lost a great man,” he added.
 
The IOC has expressed its deepest sympathy to the Judge’s family.

By IOC