Romanian Defector’s Family to Join Him : Hunger Strike Apparently Pays Off for U.S. Olympic Pistol Coach

Romanian defector Daniel Iuga of Corona said Tuesday that his wife and two children have received permission to leave Romania and join him in the United States.

Iuga and his wife ended on Saturday a 10-day hunger strike, initiated in an effort to force Romanian authorities to act, he said. The news he had been awaiting came that day in a telephone call from his wife in Bucharest.

Believing their conversation was being monitored by Romanian government officials, Iuga’s wife, Nina, spoke calmly and in carefully measured words.

“Things are finally moving in the right direction,” she said.

Jumped for Joy

That was enough for Iuga, who defected from Romania in 1981 and now coaches the U.S. Olympic pistol shooting team. He said he literally jumped for joy in his apartment.

On Tuesday, State Department officials in Washington were able to confirm that Iuga’s wife had filed documents required to obtain exit visas for herself and two daughters, Laura, 9, and Ileana, 8. The officials expect Iuga’s family to arrive in the United States “within a few weeks, at most,” ending a painful three-year separation.

Iuga, who lost about 15 pounds during the hunger strike, credited national publicity over his plight and continuing pressure from elected officials, U.S. Olympic team members, the National Rifle Assn. and U.S. Embassy officials in Romania, among others, for the development.

Iuga was national coach of the Romanian Olympic shooting team when he defected in West Germany in 1981. A year later, Iuga’s wife filed for a passport and exit visa for herself and their daughters for the first time. The request and numerous others were denied without explanation.

Granted Residency

In 1983, Iuga moved to West Palm Beach, Fla., where he was granted permanent residency status by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. On Feb. 24, he joined the U.S. Olympic program as head coach of pistol shooting at the Prado Regional Park shooting range in the Chino Valley.

Since arriving in this country, Iuga has lived in sparsely furnished apartments, saving up for the day that he would see his family again.

“I’m looking for a two-bedroom home in Corona, and hopefully, I’ll find it before they get here,” he said. “I would love to be waiting for them in a house.”