Letter from the IOC President Thomas Bach to Giovanni Malagò

This is the text of the letter that the IOC President Thomas Bach sent to the CONI President Giovanni Malagò:

Dear President,

Dear friend Giovanni,

Thank you for your letter dated 11 October 2016.

The IOC has taken note of the withdrawal of the Candidature of Rome for the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, following the vote of the City Council. Based on the information we have received over the last few days, it has been clearly demonstrated that the City Council’s decision was politically motivated for reasons beyond the Olympic project.

The IOC is fully aware that this was a very difficult decision for CONI to take, enjoying support for the candidature from all other levels of Government and the people of Rome and Italy.

I would like to thank CONI and the Candidature Committee for their outstanding work which resulted in an excellent project for a sustainable, feasible and transparent candidature in the line with Olympic Agenda 2020. There is no doubt that this project would have left a positive and sustainable legacy for the City of Rome and the Lazio Region, to which the IOC would have contributed with an investment of about USD 1.7 billion.

May I also kindly ask you to convey the IOC’s thanks to the Government of Italy, the Regional Government and Regional Council of Lazio and all Italians, who have supported this candidature so much.

Please rest assured that the excellent relations between the IOC and CONI will not be affected by this decision. We will continue to work closely with CONI to promote and develop Olympic sport in Italy.

Wishing you and all the members of your teams in CONI and the Candidature Committee the very best for a successful future, I remain

With kind regards,

Thomas Bach

3rd Olympic Management course. Malagò: "A new model for Italy's sport of tomorrow"

The opening was hosted by Rossana Ciuffetti, Director of the School of Sport, and was attended by speakers and representatives from the Scientific Committee, chaired by Antonello Bernaschi who coordinates the educational project which is aimed at training future sports executives.

This year's course has kicked off with a larger number of female participants than in previous years, with 13 women taking part. Amongst the participants is rower Pierpaolo Frattini, who has competed in three Olympic games (Athens 2004, London 2012, Rio 2016) and eight world championships, winning one gold (pair event in 2011) and three silver medals (eights in 2005 and 2006, pairs in 2010).

The course, which aims to prepare young graduates for immediate entry into the workplace through the acquisition of expertise, interpersonal skills and teamwork, will cover 12 modules with compulsory attendance spanning a total of 360 hours of teaching. The students will sit an exam at the end of the course in March 2017 which, if they pass, will guarantee them at least 300 hours of paid internship.

Malagò opened the session by stressing the importance of the initiative: "We want a new model to drive Italy's sport of tomorrow in all areas. I had hoped to urge you today to support this training programme in view of the outcome of Rome's 2024 Olympic bid. But we all know what happened. Yesterday was a sad day for Italian sport. However, today we have launched a new initiative that will lead us in new directions. This morning, with the circulation of information regarding appropriations for developing sport in the suburbs, we resumed playing an active role so sport can have an impact in all circumstances".

"I believe you have made a good investment by taking part in this initiative" continued Malagò. "It makes more sense to follow this type of programme rather than one that does not provide any real opportunity."

Alberto Miglietta, Managing Director of CONI Servizi, congratulated the students on their choice and added: "To be able to make decisions, you must expand your knowledge. Before making a judgement, you need to understand what you're dealing with. I therefore urge you to be curious and never stop learning."

The start of the course was also attended by Marcello Marchioni and several representatives of the Course Scientific Committee: Alberto Acciari, Fabio Barchesi, Moris Gasparri and Valeria Panzironi. Classes will be led by CONI leaders, university professors and sporting professionals.

Sport and Suburbs, plan defined for 183 projects Prime Minister Renzi: "Making policies with sport"

During a press conference at Palazzo Chigi, President of CONI Giovanni Malagò and the Prime Minister Matteo Renzi presented the plan for analytical infrastructure projects which will be implemented through the "Sport and Suburbs" fund. The multi-year proposal, introduced by Law 185 of 2015, foresees a total investment of EUR 100 million between 2015 and 2017, with a number of urgent initiatives having already been approved, including those of Zen, Scampia, Barletta, Ostia, Reggio Calabria, Milano – Cardellino, Corviale, 15 playgrounds in Roma and, recently, Amatrice and Accumoli.

 

President Malagò (photo credit: Mezzelani GMT) explained the purpose and the importance of the project. "A sportsman must know how to win and lose, but must have the opportunity to start a new game the next day. I thank the Prime Minister for his help. We are pleased that he has assumed responsibility for sport because there is an opportunity to interact directly by presenting our issues. Sport and Suburbs gives us the opportunity to improve difficult circumstances in influential regions. The 142,000 societies that characterise our environment need a home. There are three criteria which have been used as part of this plan. The completion of the census of sports facilities with 3 million (essential for planning the locations of future projects), restructuring, regeneration and construction of sports facilities, and the anticipation of projects in view of what was Rome's 2024 bid. In order to identify projects to propose to the Prime Minister and in a bid to expand its own knowledge base, CONI invited project proposals to be submitted on its website by 15 February 2016. 1,681 proposals were received, for around EUR 1.3 billion in grant applications. At this point, CONI, with the help of Prefect Riccardo Carpino, appointed an independent committee of legal experts renowned for investigating and analysing proposals: Carlo Deodato (Consigliere di Stato), Vincenzo Nunziata (Vice Avvocato Generale dello Stato), Danilo Del Gaizo (Avvocato dello Stato).

Following the outcome of the work carried out by the independent committee, the CONI Committee selected projects to submit to the Prime Minister based on sports policy criteria. The decisions were taken with the aim of ensuring maximum distribution of projects throughout Italy, with as many sporting disciplines being represented as possible. However, in light of the devastating earthquake on 24 August, the Committee decided to allocate EUR 480,000 to proposals received from Accumoli and Amatrice, which were severely affected by the earthquake. It is also planned to do something in the future for Arquata del Tronto, which did not submit any applications. There will be a total of 183 projects in addition to those in Accumoli and Amatrice. All regions of Italy were represented during the selection of projects, with the exception of Trentino and Val d’Aosta which either did not submit any proposals or submitted incomplete proposals. The southern regions have the greatest representation, in particular Calabria (34), Sicily (22) and Campania (19), partly due to the greater number of proposals received. The region with the most projects in the north is Liguria (9) while le Marche is the central region with the most projects (15). Comunes of all sizes are represented: small (less than 10,000 residents), medium 10,000 to 20,000 residents) and large (more than 20,000 residents).

The group of Comunes with more than 20,000 residents is the one in which the largest number of projects has been selected (91). The decision also involves balancing economics, in order to ensure greater distribution throughout Italy and across all types of projects (large and small). Around 70% have a value of up to EUR 200,000. The decision was to give priority to projects that would generate social and economic value for the region in view of limited investment values. Finally, as many sporting disciplines as possible have been represented: with football and five-a-side nets, gyms and multi-purpose centres accounting for 39% of projects. Here too, the aim is to develop as large a user base as possible and promote the sustainability of the facilities by enabling more disciplines to be practised. For instance, tennis, track and field, rugby and skating. The withdrawal of the Rome 2024 bid means that the funds intended for multi-purpose facilities in the suburbs will be reallocated throughout the rest of Italy. The Prime Minister must approve the Plan. Until this point, the Plan is not valid. It will then proceed to the implementation phase. Before the implementation phase, however, agreements must be signed with the proposing bodies and so it will be preliminarily verified that all the requirements stated at the time of the proposal have been met, including the estimated value and suitability of the project. It is important to understand that if something does not comply, the agreement will not be signed and the project will not go ahead. As regards implementing the projects, a dedicated CONI organisational unit will be established, the agreement already signed with INVITALIA which uses the ANAC collaborative supervision agreement will be applied, and the best operating methods for implementing small projects will be identified with Palazzo Chigi.

I want to thank the government once again – everyone is pleased with this Fund. I hope it will be confirmed for the future. Thank you to the government and let's hear it for sport!".

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi highlighted the strategic significance of the Fund. "Today is a special day, because it comes in the wake of the announcement of the withdrawn bid for Rome 2024. Today is a good day for Malagò and CONI. In summary, we believe that sport is key to building communities, to promoting the core values that characterise your movement. Community makes the country stronger. This society is held up by volunteers and in the past politics have done little to help. This fund is not a gift, but is the minimum sport requires to train our young people in suitable settings. And I am sure that the end of the Olympic dream will not jeopardise their growth. Yesterday, parties were held in the suburbs of Paris and other bidding cities. But not in Rome. The fact that the capital's bid – and we can say it now – was in the lead, magnifies the responsibility of those who short-sightedly claimed the right to deny this opportunity. But we will not give up on our sportspeople and this is why we are offering opportunities for physical activity. This project stands for pride and sense of belonging, and we are working to accept President Malagò's proposal and confirm it. Because it means bringing sport to all, creating communities and developing our nation. The country must stand by this. We want to end the bureaucratic procedure by October, without delving into the merits of each and every project. We are happy with CONI's decision. The attention paid to the southern regions is indispensable and it is crucial to discuss these facilities with the school. Procedures that societies are responsible for have also been facilitated and simplified. The first step to investing in health is to exercise and that lies in sport. In Italy we make policies with sport, in the sense that politics deals with sports and recognises the universal value and citizenship that sport brings.

The meeting was also attended by President of Coni Servizi Franco Chimenti, Federation Presidents Maurizio Casasco (FMSI), Carlo Magri (FIPAV), Angelo Sticchi Damiani (ACI), Carlo Tavecchio (FIGC) and member of the National Committee Bruno Molea (AICS).

Projects plan

A week of activities to mark the 50th anniversary of the School of Sport

A special milestone, a remarkable encapsulation of an enlightening journey, able to write a part of history. The School of Sport turns fifty. It was back in 1966 when the President of CONI, Giulio Onesti, set up an institution that, over the years, has been able to bring prestige to the Italian movement, laying the foundations for a tradition that has become a source of pride and an example throughout the world.

Onesti, convinced that the development of Italian sport could only be done through education and culture, created the structure that provided the training of Masters of Sport and, in later years, the specialisation and updating of coaches and many professional figures operating in the world of sport, as well as contributing to the progress of studies and research, with the aim to use the results of various scientific disciplines in the field of sport.

There have been many champions who have attended and are attending the School as students and as teachers, in order to follow a model of sporting excellence, including coaches, researchers, scientists, professionals, educators and scholars who have all contributed to the growth of this institution. The School of Sport is celebrating together with all of them this glorious milestone with a week of activities that reflect the vocation for study, research, reflection and transmission of knowledge that has always distinguished it.

Lupo carries the Italian flag during the closing ceremony. See you in Tokyo in 2020

Farewell to Rio, see you in Tokyo in 2020 The closing ceremony held at the Maracanà stadium marked the end of the XXXI edition of the Summer Olympic Games with a colourful party inspired by Carnival rhythms and costumes, following the "saudade" traditions with fireworks and samba dance schools. Rio then handed the torch over to the next edition of the Games, which will be held in 4 years' time in Japan.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe introduced himself on a stage in the middle of the field wearing a SuperMario hat, the popular Japanese video game character; the formal handover took place when the Olympic flag was lowered and given to the Governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike. A tropical storm began right before the ceremony, with strong winds and pouring rain which continued through the first half of the show: despite the warnings, the weather did not deter spectators nor the final parade team, including Daniele Lupo - historic silver medallist in beach volleyball alongside Paolo Nicolai - the Italian flag-bearer. During the ceremony, the gold medal was awarded to Kipchoge of Kenya, winner of the marathon, the symbolic event of Olympics.

Silver for Italy, Brazil victorious. Italy finishes with 28 medals, 9th place in the medal table

The Italian volleyball team claims silver. The men's volleyball team, led by Blengini, reaches the second step of the podium in Rio 2016, after a sensational Olympic tournament. The Italian team were beaten - only in the final - by the host nation Brazil, 3-0 (25-22, 28-26, 26-24) but with their heads held high after a vibrant game, marked by some controversial decisions. It represents the third silver in the event, after those won in Atlanta 1996 and Athens 2004, the sixth Olympic medal in volleyball, with the 3 bronzes won in Los Angeles in 1984, Sydney 2000 and London 2012. The Italian Team ends the 31st edition of the Olympic Games with 28 medals (8 golds, 12 silvers and eight bronzes), claiming 9th place in the medal table.

Chamizo bronze in freestyle wrestling (65 kg): the 28th medal for the Italian team

Frank Chamizo has won bronze in Rio 2016 in wrestling, in the 65 kg category beating the American, Molinaro (3-1) for a place on the podium. The World and European champion's dreams of gold (photo Mezzelani/GMT) were shattered in the semi-finals (1-3) against the Azerbaijani Asgarov, after winning his first fight (3-1) against the Armenian Safaryan and success in the quarter finals against the Georgian Lakobishvili (3-1). This is Italy's second Olympic wrestling medal, after gold won by Claudio Pollio in Moscow in 1980 in the 48 kg category. Italy reaches 28 medals in the 31st edition of the Summer Olympics (waiting to find out the colour of the medal for the Italian volleyball team, involved in the fight for gold against Brazil).

Italy's men's water polo team beats Montenegro 12-10 for bronze: the 27th medal for Italy

Italy's men's water polo team overcomes Montenegro 12-10 and wins bronze in Rio 2016. The men's water polo team, thanks to a battling performance, get on the podium giving Italy its 27th medal of the 31st edition of the Summer Olympics (taking into the account the guaranteed medal for the volley ball team in tomorrow's final against Brazil). The bronze medal match was open in the first quarter with the one-two by Gallo and Presciutti (2-1), in the second (3-3) thanks to Gallo, Figlioli and Presciutti who maintained the points margin, while in the third period it was Gallo and Nora again, and a double by Presciutti that allowed the Italians to pull ahead (4-3). Presciutti was on fire scoring two more goals at the beginning of the fourth period, extinguishing any remaining hope of the Montenegro team, with Aicardi sealing victory. Victory for Italy. Bronze rewards the all hard work put in by Sandro Campagna in the organisation and revitalisation of the group. It is the eighth Olympic medal for the Italian men's team, the third bronze for Italy in the history of this discipline after those of Helsinki in 1952 and Atlanta 1996.

Silver medal winner Daniele Lupo will be the Italian flag bearer at Rio 2016's closing ceremony

Daniele Lupo will be the flag bearer for the Italian team at the Rio Games closing ceremony 2016. The Italian athlete, partnering Paolo, won a historic silver medal in yesterday's final against the Brazilians Alison Cerutti and Bruno Schmidt. It represents Italy's first Olympic medal in beach volleyball since it became an Olympic sport 20 years ago in Atlanta. It was down to CONI president Giovanni Malagò to choose the Italian standard bearer to march at the Maracana stadium on Sunday 21st August (starting at 8pm local time, 1am in Italy).

Italy's women's national water polo team, a creditable silver. The United States won the final 12-5

Italy's women's water polo team claims silver. The water polo team coached by Fabio Conti, at the end of a fine tournament, eventually surrenders to the United States (12-5) in the Rio 2016 Olympic final. After the Americans made a flying start in the first quarter (4-1), the Italians proudly came back (1-2), before bowing down to the striking power of the opposition (4-1 in the third, 3-1 in the fourth quarters). Hitting the back of the net were Radicchi (2), Emmolo, Bianconi and Di Mario. This is the second medal, and first silver, at the Olympics for the Italian women's team, after gold in Athens in 2004. Italy's women's water polo team finished in 7th place at the London 2012 tournament.