Nicolae Vieru died at 84

Nicolae VIERU, former President of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation and Vice President of the International Gymnastics Federation (F.I.G.), died last week after a long battle with prostate cancer at age 84.  As an athlete, coach, judge and top official, Vieru dedicated more than half a century to the sport and played a great role in Romania's rise to prominence in Gymnastics. Born April 21, 1932, this professor of sport was the coach of the Romanian men's team from 1962 to 1967, before passing over to the administrative side, where he served as Secretary General of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation from 1967-1983 and President from 1987 to 2005. During his tenure, Romania went from being a little-known nation on the international scene to a Gymnastics powerhouse. The innovative coaching techniques introduced by Bela and Martha Karolyi facilitated the winning efforts of stars like Nadia Comaneci, who became a household name after recording seven perfect 10s at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games.“A great man. We will miss you dearly, Neculai Vieru,” Comaneci wrote on her Facebook page Friday. Vieru was elected for the first time to the FIG Executive Committee in 1976 and served three terms as FIG Vice President. He retired from his official functions in 2008 but was still a member of the FIG apparatus commission. For his lifetime of service to the sport, Vieru was made both an honorary FIG Vice President and honorary President of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation.
* source: fig-press release