Shunichiro Okano has died at the age of 85 ©Getty Images

Tributes have been paid to former International Olympic Committee (IOC) honorary member Shunichiro Okano following his death at the age of 85.

The former Japanese football player and coach died from lung cancer yesterday at a hospital in Tokyo.

Okano won a bronze medal as an assistant coach of Japan in the football competition at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City and managed the team between 1970 and 1971.

Off the pitch, he became President of the Japan Football Association (JFA) in 1998 and remained in the role until 2002, the same year the country co-hosted the FIFA World Cup with South Korea, a tournament at which he was chairman of the Organising Committee.

Alongside other roles at the JFA, where he was supreme advisor from 2008 to 2017, Okano became an honorary IOC member in 2012, having originally first joined 22 years earlier, and he played a role in Tokyo's successful 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games bid.

Shunichiro Okano played a key part in helping Tokyo win the hosting rights to the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games ©Getty Images
Shunichiro Okano played a key part in helping Tokyo win the hosting rights to the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games ©Getty Images

On top of this, he was also secretary general of the Japanese Olympic Committee from 1977 to 1991 before became a member of the Executive Committee, where he stayed until his death.

IOC President Thomas Bach was among the many people to pay their respects to Okano.

"He was always passionate about sport and in particular football," Bach said.

"He played a major role in the successful organisation of the FIFA World Cup in Japan and Korea.

"He made many friends around the world, including me, and we will all miss him greatly."

Tributes also came from Japanese football officials, including JFA President Kozo Tashima.

"I admired him as someone who was active in the fields of soccer, sports and education," he told Kyodo News.

Shunichiro Okano was also chairman of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee ©Getty Images
Shunichiro Okano was also chairman of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Organising Committee ©Getty Images

"Many of the things I’m doing now as President have been influenced by him."

Japan’s all-time top international goal-scorer Kunishige Kamamoto also said he had a lot of admiration for Okano.

"He picked me for the [national] youth teams and always looked after me," said Kamamoto, who scored 80 goals for his country and was also part of the Mexico City 1968 side.

"He was always there for me while I developed as a player."

In 2012, Okano received the Olympic Order in silver and seven years earlier was one of the first inductees into the Japanese Football Hall of Fame.