Rome, 31 March (LaPresse) – Giancarlo Dondi, honorary president of the Italian Rugby Federation (FIR), has passed away at the age of 89. This was announced by the FIR in a statement in which they said they were ‘deeply saddened to learn of the death of Giancarlo Dondi, honorary president and federal president from 1996 to 2012’. The Italian Rugby Federation also stated that the manager ‘passed away during the night between 30 and 31 March in Parma, his hometown where he had actively contributed to the creation of the “Cittadella del Rugby”, today the home of Zebre Parma. He would have turned ninety on 19 April’. A player first for Rugby Parma and then for Fiamme Oro Padova, the FIR (Italian Rugby Federation) says that Dondi ‘was closely linked to Italian rugby and the Federation, holding the role of Vice-President and Team Manager of the National Team in the first half of the 90s and then, for four terms from 1996 to 2012, leading the FIR as President. Under his management, the FIR was admitted to the Six Nations in 1998, actively participating in the 2000 edition of the Tournament, embarked on the adventure of the United Rugby Championship and was admitted to the Executive Committee of World Rugby, the international federation, of which Dondi was the first and to date only Italian member for two terms’.
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