CRI听力:He Zhenliang-A Man Devoted to the Olympic Movement

Nicknamed "China's Mr. Olympics", He Zhenliang was best known for helping Beijing secure the bid to host the 2008 Summer Olympics.

He began working on the administrative side of sports way back in 1955 as a member of China's national sports administration.

He said he pushed hard to bring the Olympics to China.

"For all these past decades, I had always been thinking about China's bid for hosting the Olympics. I had been gathering materials and seeking to establish friendship with IOC members. All of these preparatory works I had done were useful for China's successful bid for hosting the Olympics."

He Zhenliang was elected to the IOC in 1981 and became its vice president in 1989, remaining in the position for four years.

He retired from the International Olympic Committee in 2009.

During his almost 30 years at the IOC, He Zhenliang was also a strong advocate for adding diversity and dynamics to the international Olympic movement.

"Our responsibility is to safeguard the legitimate rights of developing nations in the international sports arena while challenging the traditional 'Europe-centric' views of the IOC. I stressed on the importance of cultural diversity, the spread of the Olympic movement and respect for different cultures on many occasions. I'm happy that we have made some progress in these regards."

Cities in developed nations had almost exclusively been the choice of the IOC to host the Olympics before the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.

But through the help of people like He Zhenliang, this trend seems to be changing, with the IOC awarding the 2016 Summer Olympics to the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro.

Authorities in Beijing are also bidding for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The death of He Zhenliang has created an outpouring of condolence on the internet, with many people taking time to remember his contribution to Chinese sports and the Olympic movement as a whole.

Current IOC President Thomas Bach has also praised He Zhenliang as a "true advocate of the social values of sport and of the Olympic Movement."

The IOC is flying the Olympic flag at half-staff for three days in tribute to He Zhenliang.

For CRI, I'm Yin Xiuqi.