Ram Ruhee
Encyclopedia
Ram Ruhee was a Mauritian
former International Olympic Committee
member and FIFA
executive. Ruhee founded the Mauritius National Olympic Committee
and remained it Secretary General until his death in 2008.
Ruhee, born in Port Louis
and former teacher
, founded the first division soccer club Cadets Club in Mauritius in 1948. He continued to manage the team after its founding. He later founded the Mauritius National Olympic Committee in 1971 and remained its Secretary General until his death in 2008. Mauritius first competed in the Olympics during the 1984 Summer Olympics
in Los Angeles and has subsequently competed in every Summer OLympics Game since. The country's first Olympic Medal was won during the 2008 Beijing Olympics by Bruno Julie
. The IOC would later commend Ruhee in statement following his death saying, "(He) played a key role in promoting the values of sport to the youth in his country."
Ruhee served as a member of the International Olympic Committee from 1988 until 2007. He was investigated in 1999 as part of the 2002 Winter Olympic bid scandal
. However, Ruhee was completely exonerated and cleared of any wrongdoing in the scandal. He was awarded the Olympic Order of Merit at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Ruhee also served on the FIFA
executive committee from 1992 until 1998. He was also a member of the FIFA finance committee and the FIFA World Cup
Organising Committee.
Ram Ruhee died on October 21, 2008, at the age of 81 after a long illness.
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
former International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
member and FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
executive. Ruhee founded the Mauritius National Olympic Committee
Mauritius at the Olympics
Mauritius first participated at the Olympic Games in 1984, and has sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games since then. The nation has never participated in the Winter Olympic Games. Mauritius also supported that American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics.As of 2008, Mauritius...
and remained it Secretary General until his death in 2008.
Ruhee, born in Port Louis
Port Louis
-Economy:The economy is dominated by its port, which handles Mauritius' international trade. The port was founded by the French who preferred Port Louis as the City is shielded by the Port Louis/Moka mountain range. It is the largest container handling facility in the Indian Ocean and can...
and former teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
, founded the first division soccer club Cadets Club in Mauritius in 1948. He continued to manage the team after its founding. He later founded the Mauritius National Olympic Committee in 1971 and remained its Secretary General until his death in 2008. Mauritius first competed in the Olympics during the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
in Los Angeles and has subsequently competed in every Summer OLympics Game since. The country's first Olympic Medal was won during the 2008 Beijing Olympics by Bruno Julie
Bruno Julie
Bruno Julie is a bantamweight boxer from Mauritius who won a number of medals in international tournaments and competed in the 2008 Olympics when he won the first-ever Olympic medal for the island of Mauritius-Career:...
. The IOC would later commend Ruhee in statement following his death saying, "(He) played a key role in promoting the values of sport to the youth in his country."
Ruhee served as a member of the International Olympic Committee from 1988 until 2007. He was investigated in 1999 as part of the 2002 Winter Olympic bid scandal
2002 Winter Olympic bid scandal
The 2002 Olympic Winter Games bid scandal was a scandal involving allegations of bribery used to win the rights to host the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Prior to its successful bid in 1995, the city had attempted four times to secure the games; failing each time...
. However, Ruhee was completely exonerated and cleared of any wrongdoing in the scandal. He was awarded the Olympic Order of Merit at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
Ruhee also served on the FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
executive committee from 1992 until 1998. He was also a member of the FIFA finance committee and the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
Organising Committee.
Ram Ruhee died on October 21, 2008, at the age of 81 after a long illness.