Luis Eduardo Woolcott Atard served as President of the Peruvian Olympic Committee between 1989 and 1997 ©COP

The Peruvian Olympic Committee (COP) has announced the death of former President Luis Eduardo Woolcott Atard who was viewed as "one of the great promoters of sport".

Atard was President of the COP between 1989 and 1997 and President of the Peruvian Golf Federation from 1973 to 1975.

During his eight-year term with COP, Peru clinched one of its four Summer Olympic Games medals in its history with Juan Giha notching silver in skeet shooting at Barcelona 1992.

According to COP, Atard was also a "great participant in international meetings" and attended a key meeting before Peru secured the rights to host the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima.

Luis Eduardo Woolcott Atard is understood to have attended a key meeting prior to Lima being announced as the host city for the 2019 Pan American Games ©Getty Images
Luis Eduardo Woolcott Atard is understood to have attended a key meeting prior to Lima being announced as the host city for the 2019 Pan American Games ©Getty Images

A statement from COP said the death of Atard, who was born in 1937, had caused "deep sorrow" for the "entire Olympic family" and "national sport".

"Passionate about Olympism in general, he was one of the great promoters of sport," the statement added.

"In April 2013, he participated in the visit of Mario Vázquez Raña, then President of PASO (now known as Panam Sports) during the period of Lima's candidacy to host the Pan American Games and a great participant in international meetings.

"His funeral will be carried out in strict private."