Tamás Aján

Tamás Aján earned a PhD at the Budapest University of Physical Education in 1964 and then was a professor at the school briefly. In 1965 he began work in the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education in Hungary and was Deputy State Secretary in that department from 1983-89. Aján was secretary-general of the Hungarian Weightlifting Federation from 1968-83, and was secretary-general of the Hungarian Olympic Committee from 1989-2005. He served as secretary-general of the International Weightlifting Federation from 1975-2000, and then became President. He was also President of the Organizing Committee for the 104th IOC Session, held in Budapest in 1995, and was also a Vice-President of GAISF (General Association of International Sports Federations, later SportAccord), starting in 1988.

Aján became an IOC Member in 2000 as President of an International Federation, serving on the IOC through 2009, when he resigned, and was named an Honorary Member. He served on several IOC Commissions, including Sport for All (1985-2009), Olympic Movement (1995-1999), International Relations (2005-09), and a sub-commission on Out-of-Competition Testing in 1993. In his native country, Aján was awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Republic of Hungary.