The Association of Sports Veterans, Nigeria has expressed its sadness over the passage of Major General Henry Edmond Olufemi Adefope, the country’s longest serving representative at the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

The late Adefope passed on last Sunday at the age of 84.

Chief Jonathan Ogufere, former President of the West African Football Union (WAFU) who is at the head of the Sports Veterans said yesterday with Adefope’s death, ‘’a big iroko tree has fallen.”

In a press statement in Lagos, Chief Ogufere paid glowing tributes to the late Major General Adefope, former Commander of the Armed Forces Medical Services whose reign as the President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) between 1967 and 1976 brought good tidings to Nigerian sports.

‘’The former Minister of Labour, and former minister of foreign affairs was a man of high integrity, a rare gem whose knowledge of the Nigerian sports terrain was deep. He was surely our unsung hero and a committed sports administrator. He will greatly be missed by the global Olympic family,” said the statement.

The President of the Sports Veterans went on to trace the history of the man who took the reins of the NOC from Sir Adetokunbo Ademola when he was chairman of Army Sports Control Board.

The former WAFU boss said Adefope’s sojourn in the country’s sports was worthy of emulation and called on the present day sports administrators to immortalize Adefope by imbibing the good ideals of Nigeria’s former representative to the International Olympic Committee.