The President of the Olympic Council of Asia, HE Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, has paid tribute to IOC member Patrick Baumann, who has died in Buenos Aires, Argentina, aged 51.
âPatrick was one of the hardest-working and most forward-thinking members of the global sports community,â said Sheikh Ahmad.
âIt is very difficult for us to accept that Patrick has passed away at such a young age. He was a dynamic and pioneering sports leader, not only in basketball but in all aspects of the Olympic movement.â
Sheikh Ahmad, who is also President of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) and IOC member in Kuwait, added: âThe OCA and ANOC have worked very closely with Patrick for a number of years, especially in the promotion and development of 3×3 basketball in his role of Secretary General of the International Basketball Federation FIBA.Â
âThanks to the support of Patrick and FIBA, the OCA has embraced 3×3 basketball and regards it as one of the most popular and fastest-growing sports throughout the continent.
âPatrick helped us to achieve this with his vision and his love for the sport. As a member of the IOC, he was always passionate about developing sport among the youth and introducing ideas that appealed to a new generation of athletes and sports-lovers around the world.
 âHis loss is not only a shock and a tragedy on a personal level but is also a great loss to the global Olympic movement as a whole.
âAs President of the OCA I would like to express the sincere condolences of the sports community throughout Asia to the family and friends of Patrick Baumann. His energy and devotion to the Olympic movement will be sadly missed.â
