Samaranch was presented with his award for 'His outstanding lifetime contribution to sports' by Prince Albert of Monaco, patron of the SportStar Awards.
Eurosport, the pan-European sports channel, broadcast exclusive 24 hour coverage of the Games, recording its highest ever reach for an event with over 118m viewers.
The figure was 37% higher than the 96 Atlanta games and 12% higher than the previous record, the 98 World Cup in France.
The SportStar Awards will be held annually in Monaco under the patronage of Prince Albert and will recognise the achievements of Europe's top sporting stars as voted for by Eurosport and British Eurosport viewers.
