Kocijančič, 78, who died after a serious illness was elected unopposed as President of the EOC in 2017, and continued in the role until his passing.

The Slovenian has had a long association with the EOC, joining the organisation's Executive Board in 2005.

He later served as vice-president from 2013 to 2016, then took on the Acting President role following the suspension of Patrick Hickey before being elected to the top job in 2017.

Kocjančič has also been a member of the International Ski Federation (FIS) Executive Board since 1981, including serving as the organisation's vice-president from 2010.

"The Olympic Movement of Europe has lost a great leader and we have all lost a dear and kind friend," said EOC Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi, in tribute to Kocijančič .

"He was a profound believer in the power of sport for good, and tirelessly worked to promote Olympic values and ideals in the certainty that they can help provide our youth with a better tomorrow.

"He did so with unparalleled wisdom, and we pledge to continue his good work in honour of his memory.

"Aside from his outstanding qualities as a leader, his immeasurable knowledge of sport and of the Olympic Movement in particular, Janez was an immensely kind and compassionate person, a characteristic that endeared him to everyone who worked with him.

"Ours is a great loss but nothing compared to the loss his death represents for his family. 

"Our Olympic Solidarity, a value so close to Janez’s heart, thus goes to his family, and in particular his beloved wife Andreja and their children."

The memorial service was held at the Grand Union Hotel in Ljubljana in Slovenia and was jointly organised by the Olympic Committee of Slovenia Association of Sports Federations and the Ski Association of Slovenia.

Other EOC representatives at the service were Executive Committee members Zlatko Mateša and Peter Mennel and staff from the EOC headquarters, representatives from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and European National Olympic Committees, including Krisztian Kulcsar and Balint Vekassy, President and Secretary General of the Hungarian Olympic Committee respectively.

The memorial service was also attended by officials from the International Ski Federation (FIS).

In a tribute issued by video, IOC President Thomas Bach said: "With our friend Janez Kocijančič, our Olympic Movement has lost a great, great ambassador for the Olympic values and I personally have lost a true and long-time loyal friend.

"He was a true European who looked beyond the borders of the European Union, including all countries and cultures of European origin.

"This made conversations with him always inspiring and interesting because of his rich knowledge of culture, literature and science."

Miroslav Cerar, double Olympic champion in gymnastics who together with Kocijančič was one of the founding members of the Slovenian Olympic Committee (SOC) said he remembered Janez as "a constant guiding presence in Slovenian sport."

In tribute Crerar said of Kocijančič: "Ever creative and decisive, you were also tolerant, brimming with energy and wisdom. 

"You knew how to listen and give weighty arguments that proved invaluable to us.

"During your time at the helm of the SOC, Slovenian athletes achieved more than we ever dared hope and Slovenian sport became a true social phenomenon, fostering a strong feeling of national unity."

The memorial service ended with Kocijančič being officially awarded the Olympic Order, which was mandated by the IOC Executive Board last month. 

The highest IOC award for achievement in sport, the Olympic Order was presented to Kocijančič in recognition of his "outstanding achievements in the course of world sport and his faithfulness to the Olympic ideal as illustrated by Pierre de Coubertin, the renovator of the modern Olympic Games."

The award was accepted by Janez’s wife, Andreja, and daughter, Nike, and was jointly presented by special IOC envoy, Zlatko Mateša, who is also President of the Croatian Olympic Committee and President of the Slovenian NOC Bogdan Gabrovec.