Former Austrian IOC member Philipp von Schoeller has died age 86

VIENNA, Austria (AP) -Philipp von Schoeller, a former national horse-riding champion and International Olympic Committee member, has died at age 86.

Von Schoeller died Tuesday after battling illness for several years, the Chamber of Commerce said Friday.

He was elected an IOC member in 1977 and became an honorary member in 2000 after reaching the mandatory retirement age.

The IOC expressed its "deepest sympathy'' Friday to von Schoeller's family.

As a banker and an industrialist, von Schoeller served as a board member of various companies in Austria.

He also chaired several industrial lobbying institutions in Vienna, London and Paris between 1971 and 1998.