The funeral was held on Tuesday 10 January in the French town of Gien-sur-Cure of Jean Poczobut.
Poczobut, who held many senior coaching and administrative positions in the French athletics federation (FFA) and the IAAF, as well as in the French multi-sport organisations, died on 4 January at the age of 80.
European Athletics was represented at the funeral by his close friend and European Athletics Vice-President Jean Gracia.
Poczobut was born in Romilly-sur-Seine in northern France on 20 June 1936 and was initially a teacher by education and profession. He then served as the French national high jump coach from 1976 to 1977 before becoming the technical director of the FFA in 1978, a post he held for six years.
From 1993 to 1997, Poczobut was the FFA President and during this time he was a leading figure in the organisation of the 1994 European Athletics Indoor Championships and the Chairman of the Organising Committee of the 1997 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Paris, as well as instrumental in bringing many major international championships to France.
He was also a member of the IAAF Council from 1995 to 2011, including an eight-year period from 2003 to 2011 as the IAAF Honorary Treasurer and was a member of a variety of IAAF Commissions.
European Athletics wishes to offer its sincerest condolences to Jean Poczobut’s family and friends.
“I was very sad to learn of Jean’s death. We knew each other well as we were on the IAAF Grand Prix Commission together in the 1990s and our paths frequently crossed in his roles on other IAAF Commissions during my 24 years as Meeting Director of the Bislett Games,” said European Athletics President Svein Arne Hansen.
“He dedicated his life to the sport as both a coach and an administrator, and athletics is much poorer for his passing.”
'Jean Poczobut was a personality who has made his mark on the history of our federation,” added FFA President André Giraud.