(Reuters) – Former World Rugby Chairman Bernard Lapasset has died at the age of 75, the France 2023 World Cup organising committee said on Wednesday.
Lapasset was World Rugby Chairman from 2008 to 2016 and president of the French Rugby Federation from 1991 to 2008.
“He contributed to the development of the sport he cherished both in France and internationally, accelerating its development and move into professionalism,” the organising committee said in a statement.
“Rugby World Cup 2007 organised in France under his presidency was one of his greatest achievements.”
Lapasset was also a founding member of the successful Paris bid to host the 2024 Olympic Games.
(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
