LAUSANNE (AFP) - Thailand's International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Nat Indrapana, a leading Asian sports administrator, has died aged 80, the IOC announced on Monday (Aug 6).

He joined the IOC in 1990 and served the body in many capacities including on committees overseeing the preparations of the Sydney Olympics in 2000, the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.

He was also a major figure in Asian sport, offering years of service to key national and regional sports bodies including the Asian Games Federation and the Olympic Council of Asia.

He was Thailand's vice-minister of Tourism and Sports from 2007 to 2008.

"With the death of Nat Indrapana, the IOC loses a true gentleman of sport," said IOC president Thomas Bach.