New York, May 17: Tiger Woods was among the sports legends stunned by the death of International Management Group (IMG) founder Mark McCormack here at age 72. McCormack, considered the most powerful man in global sport, died yesterday, four months after suffering a heart attack. He had been in a coma in a hospital here since January.
"It's a loss for everybody," said Woods, one of McCormack's clients. "He was a genius when it came to sports marketing. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't be in the position we're in now."
McCormack's agency, which has ties throughout all aspects of the sports world, will be run by Bob Kain and Alastair Johnston, key IMG figures who lauded McCormack for teaching and inspiring in a statement.
"His death is a great loss to all of us," the statement said. "But in true McCormack fashion, he prepared the company well for this unthinkable eventuality."
Director general of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Francois Carrard also paid tribute to McCormack.
"It's a great loss for world sport. He was a remarkable character."
The tennis world also mourned with ATP chief executive Mark Miles describing the American as "a visionary and a true pioneer."
"He played an important role in the birth of the ATP. Tennis will remember him as a hard-nosed competitor who loved his sports." Bureau Report