President of the International Olympic Committee Juan Samaranch delivered the Olympic Order to tennis champion Ms Steffi Graf on Monday at an official ceremony held at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne.

The IOC President said he was particularly proud to award the highest Olympic distinction to one of the leading sport figures of the century and to thank the Queen of tennis for her outstanding career and contributions to the sporting world, according to an IOC press release.

Graf said she was honored to receive such a prestigious distinction and pointed out that among all the awards she had received lately, the Olympic Order meant a lot to her as she considers the Olympic Games to represent the fundamentals of sport.