Kanerva also served as the President of the Finnish Athletics Association from 1991 until 2005, departing after the 2005 World Athletics Championships, which were held in Finland's capital Helsinki.

At that time, he also worked as the President of the Organising Committee for the 2005 World Championships.

Kanerva died of an undisclosed serious illness last Thursday (April 14).

The Finn served as a member of World Athletics Council from 2003 to 2011 and the European Athletics Council from 1999 to 2003.

At the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games, Kanerva was Finaland's Chef de Mission.

Kanerva was also a former Finnish Foreign Minister who was first elected to the Finnish Parliament in 1975, sitting as a Member of Parliament until his death.

Deputy Prime Minister of Finland for four months in 1991, Kanerva was also Minister for Foreign Affairs for a year spanning 2007 and 2008.

Kanerva was Minister of Transport from 1990 to 1991 and the Minister of Labour from 1991 to 1995.

His political career was not without scandal.

Kanerva was forced to resign as Foreign Minister after hundreds of sexually suggestive messages were revealed to have been sent by him to an erotic dancer from his work mobile phone.

In 2012, he was convicted of corruption and abuse of office by a district court, after being accused of accepting large gifts from business executives, and given a 15-month suspended custodial sentence, however this ruling was overturned by the Helsinki Court of Appeal in June 2013.

At the time of his death he was also the chair of the Organising Committee of the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, as well as Finnish Athletics Association Honorary President.

Kanerva was additionally vice-president of the Finnish Olympic Committee from 1993 to 2008.

Prime Minister Sanna Marin said in tribute that Kanerva was "highly valued and liked colleague across party lines".