Former BOA and Wada executive Reedie dies aged 84

Sir Craig Reedie, the former chair of the British Olympic Association and president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, has died at the age of 84, leaving behind a legacy that spans six decades of service to Olympic sport.

Reedie, who was awarded the Olympic Order in 2023 for his contributions to the Olympic movement, passed away after a lifetime dedicated to sport. He chaired the BOA from 1992 to 2005, a tenure that included Britain's successful bid for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and later served as a director of the London 2012 organising committee.

His influence extended beyond British shores. Reedie served as the third president of Wada from 2014 to 2019, a period marked by the exposure of Russia's state-sponsored doping programme and the subsequent ban on Russian athletes competing under their national flag. He also held key positions within the International Olympic Committee, sitting on its executive board from 2009 to 2012 and serving as vice president from 2012 to 2016.

Dame Katherine Grainger, current chair of the BOA, paid tribute to Reedie's profound impact: "Few knew the Olympic movement better and fewer still served it with such distinction. His dedicated service to the BOA, to the IOC and to Wada is notable. He always fought hard for Olympic sport, and fought harder still for clean sport."

Lord Sebastian Coe, who worked closely with Reedie during London 2012, described him as "the epitome of a gentleman" and credited him with being instrumental in securing the Games. "Without Craig and his leadership of the British Olympic Association, we may never have won the right to host London 2012," Coe said.

Before his administrative career, Reedie was an international badminton player representing Great Britain in the 1960s. He later led the Scottish Badminton Union and, as president of the International Badminton Federation from 1981, successfully campaigned for badminton's inclusion in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

IOC president Kirsty Coventry praised Reedie's unwavering commitment: "He was a steadfast guardian of integrity, guiding the global sporting community through some of its most challenging moments with dignity and resolve."

Reedie's contributions were recognised with numerous honours: he was appointed CBE in 1999, knighted in 2006, and elevated to Knight Grand Cross in 2018.