Posted: March 12, 2006

Athletics: Gyulai, IAAF General Secretary, Dead At 62

From David Monti

© 2006 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

By Bob Ramsak

MOSCOW -- Istvan Gyulai, the General Secretary of the IAAF, died early this morning after a long illness, the international governing body announced. Gyulai, the organization's chief since 1991, was 62.

“Istvan devoted his entire life to our sport," said IAAF President Lamine Diack in a press statement. "We will sadly miss his friendly manner, his intelligence and his energy. I also believe that Istvan was extremely courageous in the face of a cruel illness, continuing to work as hard as ever, without complaint, until the end."

A former international 400 meter sprinter, Gyulai later became Head of Sport for Hungarian TV. He was a member of the IAAF Council from 1984 until 2001.

It was not immediately known who would replace Gyulai as the organization's General Secretary.

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