Mario Pescante

Mario Pescante (born July 7, 1938 in Avezzano) is an Italian politician and entrepreneur. He is a former member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Mario Pescante
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office
2001–2013
ConstituencyXV - Lazio 1
Personal details
Born (1938-07-07) July 7, 1938
Avezzano, Italy
Political partyThe People of Freedom
ProfessionEntrepreneur
Politician

Biography

Pescante began his career as a university sports manager and was appointed secretary general of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) in 1973. He served as Italy's chef de mission for seven Summer Olympics and five Winter Olympics. In 1993, Pescante was elected president of CONI. He resigned in October 1998 over a doping scandal.[1]

He served as vice president of the Association of National Olympic Committees from 2001 to 2006. He teaches sports law at LUISS University in Rome and has authored numerous publications.[2] In 2009, he became the first Italian to become a vice president of the IOC.[2]

In February 2011, he was chosen to head Rome's bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics,[3] however the bid was withdrawn due to the lack of government support.[4]

In January 2014, Pescante publicly opposed the decision of United States president Barack Obama to include four openly homosexual athletes in their Olympic delegation.[5]

Pescante was a member of the IOC and retired at the end of 2018, as per protocol, having turned 80 during the year.[6]

Political career

Pescante is a member of the People of Freedom party, and has been a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies since 2001. He served as an undersecretary of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities under prime minister Silvio Berlusconi from 2001 to 2006. At present, he is the president of the 14th Commission of the Chamber of Deputies (in charge of European Union affairs).[2]

References
  1. "Pescante si e' dimesso" (in Italian). RAI Sport. 28 September 1998. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
  2. "Mario Pescante" (in Italian). 2020Roma.it. Archived from the original on 23 April 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
  3. "IOC VP new choice for Rome's Olympic bid". Yahoo! Sports. 21 February 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2011.
  4. Rome 2020 abandons Olympic dreams – Italy drops out of bid race Archived 2012-09-08 at the Wayback Machine
  5. IOC's Mario Pescante slams U.S. for gay athletes in Sochi
  6. "IOC membership dips back below 100 mark as constructive critics retire".
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