Patrick Hickey once said that he owes his life in sport to judo.
The Irish sports administrator represented his country on the tatami before going on to fulfil numerous key roles in the Olympic movement.
In 1989, Hickey became Honorary Life President of the Irish Judo Association and President of the Olympic Council of Ireland and was Chef de Mission for his country at the 1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.
He is at the initiative of the European Games, which second edition was held in 2019.