Aida Elena Giménez de Lario the first woman to join the Argentine Olympic Committee's Executive Council and Board of Directors, has died at the age of 91 ©COA

Aida Elena Giménez de Lario, the first woman to hold a senior role at the Argentine Olympic Committee’s (COA), has died at the age of 91.

Lario joined the Executive Council of the COA in 1979 and the Board of Directors in 1985, where she held a secretarial role until 2001.

She was then made a permanent member of the COA.

During her time with the COA, she served as Argentina’s Chef de Mission for the 1998 South American Games in Cuenca in Ecuador in 1998, and as an official in the Argentinian contingents at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg in Canada in 1999, and the Sydney Olympic Games a year later.

Her work with the COA saw her honoured with the National Olympic Committee’s "Woman and Sports Award," which recognises women’s work in the sporting field.

Aida Elena Giménez de Lario was part of Argentina's delegation that travelled to Sydney for the 2000 Olympic Games ©Getty Images
Aida Elena Giménez de Lario was part of Argentina's delegation that travelled to Sydney for the 2000 Olympic Games ©Getty Images

Lario was born in Paraná in the Entre Ríos province of Argentina in February 1930, and her main sporting background was in gymnastics.

As a national physical education teacher, she was part of a team that became national champions in 1951 and 1952.

From 1974 to 2001, Lario was treasurer of the Argentine Gymnastics Confederation, and served as the secretary of the South American Gymnastics Federation from 1980 to 1984.

The COA expressed its "regret" at hearing the news, while the Argentine Gymnastics Confederation offered its condolences to her family and "eternal thanks for a life dedicated to the gymnastics of our country."