Primo Nebiolo
IAAF President Dr Primo Nebiolo will be in Sarajevo tomorrow to attend the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Athletic Federation of Bosnia Herzegovina. On this special occasion, Dr Nebiolo will be awarded the title of Honorary President of the Bosnia & Herzegovina Federation.
The renaissance of the athletics movement in this new, independent republic commenced two years ago, when the IAAF organised the Athletic Meeting of Solidarity in Sarajevo, a city still marked by the brutal bombardments of a war which had seemed interminable.
It was 9 September 1996: some fifty thousand spectators gathered in the Kosevo Olympic Stadium to attend this first act of peace and fraternity, backed by the world-wide athletics movement. Over 100 athletes, including a large number of Olympic and world champions, representing all five continents, took part. In a deeply moving ceremony, the Olympic stadium - which had hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics - was returned to sport, following major reconstruction works financed by the IOC and the IAAF and a new athletics stadium was inaugurated and offered by the world governing body to the Bosnia and Herzegovina Federation.
Interviewed by Italian sports newspaper Corriere dello Sport, on the eve of his departure for Sarajevo, Nebiolo said: "Athletics is not just about chasing records, medals and prize money. From Sarajevo to Belfast, passing through Soweto, our sport is also making a contribution, whether large or small, to the peace and harmony of even the most tension-filled areas of the world."
Tomorrow, with complete serenity finally restored to the city, Mr Alija Itzebegovic, member of the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia & Herzegovina, accompanied by Dr Fahrudin Rizvangebovic, the Minister for Education and Sport, the Mayor of Sarajevo, Mr Rasim Gacaovic, the President of the National Olympic Committee, Mr Bogic Bogivec and the President of the Athletic Federation of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Mr Mehmed Sokolovic, will receive Dr Nebiolo to recall those moments and thank, through him, the world-wide athletics family for its friendship and support.
IAAF