Berlin, Jan 1 (IANS): Walther Troger, an honorary International Olympic Committee (IOC), has died at the age of 91. The German's contributions to the Olympic Movement include being mayor of the Olympic Village at Munich 1972, and was involved in negotiations with the terrorist group that took Israel athletes hostage.

Troger headed Germany's National Olympic Committee (NOC) between 1992 and 2002. He was also secretary general of the NOC between 1970 and 1992.

Troger's career was punctuated by 27 editions of the Olympics as a sports official. He was notably chef de mission at the Winter Olympics eight times between 1976 and 2002.

"Walther Troger made a great contribution to the IOC, first as its Sports Director, then as a member and lately as an honorary member. I got to know him as a person with a great passion for sport and an immense knowledge about the Olympic Movement already when we met for the first time in the 1970s, when he was secretary general of the NOC and I was an athlete," said IOC president Thomas Bach in a statement.

"In all his activities over the many years, Walther Troger worked tirelessly in the administration of sport and made a major impact on the development of German and international sport," he said.