Primo Nebiolo
Primo Nebiolo (born July 14, 1923 in Turin , † November 7, 1999 in Rome ) was an Italian sports official. From 1981 to 1999 Nebiolo was President of the World Athletics Federation IAAF .
Early career
Nebiolo started athletics at the age of 16. He did long jump and sprint in his hometown Turin. During the Second World War he fought in the Italian army in 1943, was captured by the Germans in 1944, escaped and joined the partisans. After the war he studied law and politics. Nebiolo later became a successful building contractor.
His career as a sports official began in 1948 when he founded the university sports club COS Turin. He remained president of this association until his death. Nebiolo makes a great contribution to university sports. He was instrumental in founding the International University Sports Confederation ( FISU ), whose presidency he took over in 1961. He also organized several university fairs .
In 1972 he was elected to the IAAF Council during the Summer Olympics in Munich. In 1981 elected to the delegates to succeed Adriaan Paulen as President of the IAAF.
IAAF presidency
Nebiolo changed athletics fundamentally during his tenure. He introduced the world championships in the open air (1983) and in the hall (1987) and pursued the professionalization of athletics. With a new Grand Prix system, the introduction of the Golden League and a clever sale of television rights as well as the acquisition of sponsors, he increased the income of the world association drastically. His autocratic style of office and the commercialization of the sport earned him severe criticism. Nebiolo was re-elected six times without a runner-up, most recently in August 1999, shortly before his death from a heart attack.
Nebiolo was also President of the Italian Athletics Federation (FIDAL). However, he had to resign after the 1987 World Cup in Rome because Italian referees deliberately manipulated the distance of the Italian long jumper Giovanni Evangelisti in order to help him to a bronze medal.
Because of his services to the sport, Juan Antonio Samaranch appointed him in 1992 as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Web links
- Memorial Primo Nebiolo - Athletics meeting in Nebiolo's honor with further information ( Memento from March 30, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- World Athletics Federation
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Nebiolo, Primo |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian sports official |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 14, 1923 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Turin |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 7, 1999 |
| Place of death | Rome |