Malagò receives SportAccord President Marius Vizer

The President of CONI, Giovanni Malagò, received the President of SportAccord, Marius Vizer, today at the Foro Italico. The head of the organization that brings the International Sport Federations together received the compliments of Malagò for the fruitful and constant activity in the development and protection of the competition in sports. At the end of the meeting, Vizer awarded the President of CONI with the golden emblem of SportAccord.

Statement by President Malagò on the acts of violence which occurred yesterday in Rome

Statement by President Malagò on the acts of violence which occurred yesterday in Rome:

"The unspeakable events recorded yesterday in Rome are unfortunately the confirmation of an unacceptable and repeated trend linked to acts of violence committed by foreign supporters in our country on the occasion of several football matches. We experienced a considerable number of similar events in recent years, always with the same, absurd consequences. This is the proof of a problem that affects the entire system and that must be addressed and resolved, without half measures. Last night we reached the pinnacle of this madness. It is no longer tolerable to allow these kind of people to take advantage of the spotlight of international football matches to commit such vandalism, as if they were confident they would get away with indulging in a behaviour that is elsewhere prohibited. As I have stated several times in the past, we must apply a zero tolerance principle: I have no legislative power but it is necessary to adopt the same strict measures that were applied in the past against hooligans".

National Antidoping Tribunal bans Alex Schwazer for another 6 months, sentence suspended for three months

The second chamber of the National Anti-Doping Court (TNA) confirmed the responsibility of Alex Schwazer in  the violation of Article 2.3 of the Anti-Doping Sport Rules (art. 2.3 of the CSA 2015). Having regard to Article 4.7.4 of the NSA (art.4.7.4.2 of CSA 2015), the TNA sentenced Schwazer a six-month additional ban, starting from the date of expiration of the disqualification currently in place: considering the already imposed sanctions, the disqualification will therefore expire on July 29, 2016. Having regard to Articles 4.5.3 and 11 of the NSA (Art. 4.6.1 and art. 11.1 of the CSA 2015), the Court has suspended the sanction imposed on Schwazer to the extent of three months, starting from April 29, 2016.

The TNA has also left the Doping Prosecutor's Office in charge of assessing the conditions, and, if appropriate, of initiating the procedure for the application of Article 11.2 of the CSA 2015. The Court condemned Schwazer to pay the costs of the proceedings, quantified in €750. The decision is to be communicated to the person, the UPA, to WADA, the IAAF and the FIDAL.

First Olympic mission of the Italian delegation to the IOC. Montezemolo and Malagò: unity and innovation

First Olympic mission for Rome 2024. The Italian delegation, composed of the President of the Organizing Committee, Luca di Montezemolo, the President of CONI, Giovanni Malagò, the Secretary General, Roberto Fabbricini, the Deputy Secretary-General Carlo Mornati, and the Head of Communications, Danilo di Tommaso, has participated in two important meetings with the IOC, formally opening the process leading - in September 2017 – to the allocation of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. Rome has been the first candidate city to be received in Lausanne. In the morning, the delegation attended a technical meeting at the headquarters of the IOC, during which officials of the International Olympic Committee presented to the team the new criteria for the assignment of the Games.

In the late afternoon, at Geneva airport, the Italian delegation met the President of the IOC, Thomas Bach, who could not be present in Lausanne for personal reasons, to officially submit the candidacy of Rome. "It has been a very interesting meeting," said the chief executive of the IOC after a meeting that lasted about 50 minutes. "We want to help cities interested in creating strong candidacies, taking into account the specificities of each one of them," Bach added. The President obviously did not want to make comparisons with Boston, the only other known candidate city now. "The strength of an application will depend on how every city will use the passion for sport and the implication to leave a positive legacy," he added.

"We have had some very interesting food for thought," said Malagò. According to Montezemolo, the candidacy of Rome for 2024 will have to provide a good mix of tradition ("the memories of the magnificent games in 1960") and modernity ("the strongest Italian technology"): "The strengths of the candidacy of Rome must be unity and innovation," he added; a combination made perfect with the addition of "great communication skills. We have to think of reusable works, in sports and in every other field. The model of London 2012 really is enlightening". An opinion also shared by the President of the IOC, who said, "whoever will present the most sustainable plan for the Games will certainly make a difference". Montezemolo (pictured along with the IOC President Bach and Malagò) then added, "Now we have to support the hope. Italy is a country that looks up to the world, and the Olympic Games are a tremendous opportunity to display all of its assets. The candidacy of Rome is a battle in which the true spirit of national pride will surely come out". The next step for the Italian candidacy will be to provide – by February 27 – the planned dates for the 2024 Games: 17 days to choose, from July 15 to August 31.

European Games, promotional campaigns for the 100-day-to-go

The inaugural European Games, which will kick off in less than 4 months’ time, have the whole of the EOC leadership fully focused on ensuring the event will be a great success. The latest initiative is competition for NOCs, with two prizes for those that turn out the best 100-days-to-go celebrations. Judging by the way preparations are going for the first ever European Games they really will be a huge success but, wanting to leave no stone unturned, President Hickey, Vice President Kocijancic and Secretary General Pagnozzi will be joining Coordination Commission Chair Spyros Capralos in Baku with his team for meetings at the end of this week, when they will evaluate the situation so as to ensure the best conditions for the athletes, who will be Europe’s elite, as promised by the NOCs.

One of the main aims now is to ensure this major European event maximum visibility, also to establish its role as Europe’s leading multisport experience for the future. For this purpose, over and above the various communication initiatives launched individually by the various countries, the 50 National Olympic Committees of Europe have now been strongly encouraged to create special events for the 100-days-to-go celebrations next 4 March. Whether it’s promotional campaigns, gala events, sports and cultural shows, all NOCs have been invited to celebrate this date in the most innovative and attention getting way possible, with two prizes for whoever does best at promoting Baku 2015.

Montezemolo as the Chairman of the Promoting Committee, Pancalli as its Vice President

The President of the Italian National Olympic Committee Giovanni Malagò, at the end of the National Board, announced that the lawyer Luca Montezemolo will be the Chairman of the Promoting Committee for the Rome Candidacy at the 2024 Olympic Games. The Vice President will be Luca Pancalli, President of the Italian Paralympic Committee. Malagò and Montezemolo, accompanied by the Secretary General of CONI, Roberto Fabbricini, and the Deputy Secretary, Carlo Mornati, will be in Lausanne tomorrow at the IOC headquarters to meet with the Executive Director of the IOC for the Olympic Games, Christophe Dubi, and subsequently the President of the IOC, Thomas Bach.

National Board announcement

The 1,032nd meeting of the CONI National Board was held this morning at the Foro Italico, which began its work by approving the minutes of the previous meeting of 13 January. In his announcements President Malagò updated the Board on the recent framework agreement signed by CONI with NAS on the matter of Anti-doping. With regards to Rome 2024 Luca Montezemolo was appointed as President with Luca Pancalli as Vice President. It was established that the next Board will meet at the headquarters of the Paralympic Committee, while the Board of 15 September will be held in Turin. The list of Olympic Clubs was updated with the inclusion of Edwige Gwende (Judo) who meets the set criteria. The CONI/Coni Servizi service contract was approved. After reviewing a long list of other issues on organisational and administrative matters and having taken the relevant decisions, the Board finalised its work at 12:20.

National Council press release

The 238th National Council of CONI met this afternoon at the Foro Italico to discuss the following agenda:

1) Approval of the minutes of the meeting held on December 18, 2014: approved unanimously.

2) President's communications: Malagò opened the proceedings by handing the Golden Star for sports merit to the journalist Tito Stagno, remembering the personalities of the sporting world that passed away during the first two months of the year and underlining the good results achieved by Italian athletes in the same period.The President then proceeded to remind the audience that the meetings of the Board and of the Council will be held in Milan for the entire duration of the EXPO 2015, along with a number of initiatives also linked to particularly relevant sporting events, intended to develop a synergy between this global event and the great family of CONI. Malagò simultaneously stressed that the Board will meet in March at CIP and on September 15 in Turin, European Capital of Sport 2015. The President then stated, regarding the ISTAT situation, that CONI is working to provide assistance to the Federations, co-operating with them to create the necessary conditions to face this year of transition in view of the binding legislative compliance. Malagò reiterated the announcement, made at the end of the previous Board meeting, regarding the appointment of Luca Cordero di Montezemolo as President of the Organizing Committee of Rome 2024, with Luca Pancalli as his Vice President, in respect of the agreement with the mayor of Rome, Ignazio Marino. The Committee will be hosted in-house, located within CONI HQ, following the guidelines of the spending review, with the possibility of including a skilled female member in the team. Regarding Rio 2016, CONI is waiting for the formalization of the location of Casa Italia, while Baku will probably see the participation of about 300 athletes, with no participants for athletics, acrobatic gymnastics and sambo.

The President then recalled the importance of the agreement signed with NAS, expressing his pride for this turning point in the fight against doping shared with the government. The professionals within the bodies, previously appointed by CONI, will be from now on chosen through assessments also approved by the Undersecretary of the Presidency of the Council with Responsibility for Sports, Graziano Delrio, and the Minister of Health, Beatrice Lorenzin. Malagò also spoke about the joint board composed of Federations, Organizations and Disciplines to develop shared subjects. Finally, the President announced the signing of the new agreement between CONI and CONI Servizi, and praised the successful initiative linked to the exhibition of the Olympic Torches in Cosenza. The following people commented on the President’s repost: Alfio Giomi (Athletics), Romolo Rizzoli (Bowls), Bruno Molea (Representatives of Sport Promotion Organizations), Riccardo Viola (Representative of Regional Committees), and Ugo Claudio Matteoli (Sport Fishing).

3) F.S.N.-D.S.A.-E.P.S activities: the Council unanimously approved the following resolutions: integration of appointment of the Warranty Board (through the names of Giuseppe Albenzio, Alessandro Di Majo, Patrizia Ferrari, Angelo Piazza e Alfonso Picone), integration of standards of the Sports Justice Code and the Special Procedures Regulations on art.62bis of the Sports Justice Code and UEFA Licenses Arbitration Body Regulations. Having nothing else to discuss, the meeting was concluded at 16:20.

Anti-doping agreement with NAS presented. Malagò: "Italian NADO free from constraint"

The anti-doping framework agreement between CONI and NAS has been presented today in the Hall of Honor. The press conference was attended by the President of CONI, Giovanni Malagò, the Commanding General of the Carabinieri, Tullio Del Sette, the Commanding General of NAS, Cosimo Piccinno, and the Undersecretary to the President of the Council of Ministers with responsibility for Sports, Graziano Delrio. The Secretary General of CONI, Roberto Fabbricini, and the Deputy Secretary General, Carlo Mornati, were also present. The Minister of Health, Beatrice Lorenzin, who was absent for personal reasons, sent a message of support for the initiative: "the institutions are unconditionally committed to provide a response that is adequate to the size and the complexity of the phenomenon, and this agreement precisely represents that effective, decisive response".

Undersecretary Delrio expressed the satisfaction of the Government towards the agreement. "I am happy to be here, because this is an initiative of the utmost importance: it is an important step to promote transparency and legality, in a direction that has always been supported by the government. Clean sport is also educative sport: we were already a centre of excellence, and with this agreement, we are even better. The CONI has made great strides in fighting doping. The introduction of this new, independent figure gives strength to the project and ensures an autonomy that was missing before this significant change of pace".

The Commanding General of the Carabinieri, Tullio Del Sette, broadened the concept: "This is an important goal in terms of transparency in sports. The NAS, the Department for the protection of health, is an international centre of excellence. The fact that they have been chosen as a guarantee structure in the fight against doping inspires us to move forward in implementing human and professional resources to pursue this path. The NAS, along with the anti-doping section of CONI, will work to prevent and suppress malfeasance, not only in competitive sport but also at amateur level. We will carry out checks as part of a comprehensive monitoring, in compliance with the WADA standards".

The President, Malagò, thanked the Carabinieri and the NAS for their fruitful work which led to the reaching of this agreement: "I mentioned a turning point, even if someone thought of it as mere window dressing or the saving of a system that – again, according to some – needed to be dismantled. Transparency, commitment and credibility are the main themes of every initiative carried out by CONI in the fight against doping. We do not need proclamations, tricks or shortcuts. We want results for the good of sports, and we want to reach them through professionalism and competence. The NAS is an inspiration both in Italy and around the world. This agreement is the first step for operational cooperation. Our idea to involve NAS was born from the existing situation, which is certainly not devoid of problems, and from the need to improve the anti-doping system, making it "free" from any perceived influence, even theoretically, of CONI. The term of this agreement, which the relevant Ministries already share, will coincide with the Olympic mandate and will greatly improve the fight against doping. Therefore, one of the key objectives is the transition to a substantial autonomy of Italian NADO, free from any form of conditioning".

The Commanding General of the NAS, Cosimo Piccinno, stated: "With the signing of this agreement the Corp of the Carabinieri assumes the role of institutional partner, embarking on a complex and delicate journey aimed at creating a more independent NADO structure inside the CONI, built on models accredited by WADA in a context of mutual, loyal and proactive cooperation. The reorganization will allow for targeted doping controls, with the direct involvement of previously trained NAS military personnel, by analogy with the meritorious activities brought out together with the Doping Supervisory Commission of the Ministry of Health, in order to substantially increase the efficiency and effectiveness of a struggle to counter the illicit use of banned substances and prohibited practices, and to improve the health of the athletes and the ethics of sports." The President then proceeded to specify that the agreements between CONI and NAS will be made active within 90 days through the relative implementation procedures.

Press release

CONI wishes to inform that the news regarding the appointment of a future General Director of the Organizing Committee for Rome 2024, appeared this morning in a certain sports daily newspaper, is totally unfounded.

CONI and the other bodies involved in said designation will – as repeatedly stated – communicate the final composition of the "team" at the beginning of next week.