Juan Antonio Samaranch, former president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), was awarded honorary doctorate Thursday by east China's famous Zhejiang University.

"I'm very honored to become a member of Zhejiang University, a prestigious institution of China," said Samaranch, at the awarding ceremony at the university campus in Zhejiang Province.

On July 13, 2001, Samaranch, then president of IOC, announced Beijing as winner to host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Moscow. He was then succeeded by current IOC president Jacques Rogge, after taking the IOC presidency for more than 20 years.

Samaranch said he felt extremely excited at Beijing's success in bidding for the 2008 Olympic Games and was firmly convinced that the 2008 Games will achieve full success.

(Xinhua News Agency March 24, 2006)