Primo Nebiolo

Primo Nebiolo (14 July 1923, Turin - 7 November 1999, Rome) was an Italian sports official, best known as president of the worldwide athletics federation International Association of Athletics Federations.

As an active athlete in his younger days, Nebiolo was a long jumper. He later studied law and political science and became a businessman in construction. Nebiolo became president of the International University Sports Federation, which among other things arranges the Universiade, in 1961. From 1969 to 1989 he was the president of the Italian Athletics Federation. He became a member of the IAAF council in 1972, president of the Association of Summer Olympic Federations in 1983 and a member of the International Olympic Committee in 1992. He played a role in winning the 2006 Winter Olympic bid for his home city Turin.

In 1981 Nebiolo became president of the International Association of Athletics Federations. He oversaw its restructuring from the International Amateur Athletics Federation, as well as the introduction of regular events such as the World Championships.

His term as president ended when he died from a heart attack in 1999. He was succeeded by vice president Lamine Diack as acting president; Diack was later elected president. IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch described Nebiolo as "one of the greatest leading sportsmen of this century". However, Nebiolo was not uncontroversial.

References

*cite news |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9907E4DE153AF93BA35752C1A96F958260 |title=Primo Nebiolo Is Dead at 76; Led World Track Federation |first=Richard |last=Goldstein |work=New York Times |date=8 November 1999 |accessdate=2008-04-19