Davis Cup winners received by Mattarella. Malagò: “We celebrate a special triumph”

• AT THE QUIRINALE

World champions at the Quirinale to celebrate a historic success. President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella received the national tennis team that won the Davis Cup on 26 November (photo Quirinale).

They were Matteo Arnaldi, Simone Bolelli, Lorenzo Musetti, Jannik Sinner, Lorenzo Sonego, Andrea Vavassori, Matteo Berrettini (who could not take to the court due to injury) and captain Filippo Volandri, accompanied to the Quirinale by CONI President Giovanni Malagò, CONI General Secretary Carlo Mornati and Italian Tennis and Padel Federation President Angelo Binaghi. Also present were Minister for Sport and Youth Andrea Abodi and Italian and international tennis legend Nicola Pietrangeli.

The first to take the floor was CONI President Giovanni Malagò, who, after thanking President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, said: “This meeting in the home of the Italians is becoming a beautiful custom for the world of sport. It is thanks to the sensitivity, closeness and involvement of President Mattarella in the world of sport itself and the opportunities created by our athletes. In this case we are celebrating something very important, something special. And in the meantime, in Gangwon, for the first time in history since the modern Games have existed, Italy topped the medals table at the Youth Winter Olympics. This result fills us with pride and bodes well for Milano Cortina 2026. Here, among these young men, is Jannik Sinner, who was also such a brilliant star in singles with his triumph at the Australian Open. These athletes with skill, simplicity and style have made us even more proud to be Italian. In July 2021, as well as with the national football team fresh from winning the European Championships, I was here with Matteo Berrettini, a Wimbledon finalist. This time we are celebrating a team success: behind it lies the great work by women, men, coaches, managers and the Federation. I remember well when the Davis Cup national team was in the third tier: the Italian National Olympic Committee acknowledges and gives credit for the journey made. Moreover, we are in an Olympic year. It was in Paris in 1924 that Italy won its only medal in tennis, the bronze medal of Uberto De Morpurgo. We are expecting a medal, or maybe even more than one. The signs are very positive.”

Next to come were the reflections of Angelo Binaghi, FITP president: 'We have kept our promise. When we came here in 2021 with Matteo Berrettini we told President Mattarella that we would come back as winners. We did it. In such a highly individual sport like tennis, the Davis Cup is the most beautiful and fascinating competition: you fight for teammates, family, community and country. We are happy to have such straightforward, capable young men with great values.”

Representing the team with his speech was Jannik Sinner, world number 4, fresh from his Grand Slam triumph in Melbourne, where he won the Australian Open: “Being here is an honour. We are normal guys, each with our own characteristics: thanks also to Captain Volandri we have done something really great and important for the nation. I also want to give credit to Matteo Berrettini for supporting us. We won, but I think it is important above all to understand each other, to feel free on the court and to be free to laugh even when things are not going so well. This Cup win has given us so many emotions. And this year is the Olympics: each of us will try to give our best in Paris 2024 as well.”

At this point Sinner handed over a racket (complete with tricolour ribbon) to the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, who said to the youngsters and their captain: “Throughout the Davis Cup you showed great team spirit, with serenity and concentration even in difficult moments. You have shown unity and human values. We are grateful to you. Your encouragement has inspired numerous young people to embrace tennis, a sport that has continued to thrive, especially with the renewed enthusiasm witnessed in Australia. Congratulations to Sinner, I saw the start of the fourth set of the final against Medvedev on TV and I was sure he would win. It was truly a great success. Congratulations also to Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori for reaching the doubles final, also in Melbourne. Now there are other events, including more tournaments and the Olympics: no pressure, but we are sure you will do your best”.

As Gangwon 2024 comes to a close, Italia Team stands tall, making history as the undisputed Olympic champions for the first time

• YOG

The curtain falls on Gangwon 2024 and the Italia Team waves goodbye to South Korea as its star. For the first time in an Olympic event – junior or senior – the CONI team ended at the top of the medals table (won one day in advance), with an overall record number of golds (11): a feat never before achieved by any other country in the history of the Winter Youth Olympic Games.

Mission Chief Alessio Palombi’s Azzurrini take their leave of the Gangneung Olympic Park, parading behind Zoe Bianchi and Pietro Rota, the two not-yet-15-year-old skaters chosen as flag-bearers in the last act of this fourth edition of the YOG.

The screens showed highlights from the 13 days of competition and many celebrated the moments that these youngsters, who represent the future of Italian sport, gave us: 18 podiums, with 11 gold, 3 silver and 4 bronze medals.

They are “our pride”, as they were defined yesterday by the CONI President, Giovanni Malagò, who was present in South Korea for the opening ceremony on 19 January, as well as the Secretary General, Carlo Mornati, who spent the first part of this adventure with the youngsters, which saw the participation of 1,803 athletes (925 boys and 878 girls) representing 78 National Olympic Committees.

It was a fantastic parade, which began with flag-bearer Flora Tabanelli, winner of two gold medals in freeskiing (slopestyle and big air) and the perfect representative of the strongest ever Italia Team in the history of the YOG.

Then came the glorious results from luge (6 medals), alpine skiing (4 medals), biathlon (3), Nordic combined (2) and cross-country skiing (1), with our 74 Azzurrini on the podium in 6 of the 13 disciplines in which they took part (Italy did not compete in bobsleigh and skeleton). Eighteen jewels in the richest ever haul of YOG medals. Innsbruck 2012 (with a total of 5 medals), Lillehammer 2016 (9) and Lausanne 2020 (8) are light years away; the here and now is Gangwon 2024 and, as the International Olympic Committee itself acknowledged, “Italy shines brightly”.

Marathon, first Italian passes for the Olympic Games: Yaremchuk and Epis qualified

• ATHLETICS

First individual Italian passes for Paris 2024 in the marathon.

According to the Road to Paris 24 ranking, Sofiia Yaremchuk (photo FIDAL) has secured participation in the Olympic Games in the French capital. Her time of 2:23:16 in Valencia (Spain) on 3 December was decisive.

Alongside her is Giovanna Epis, who recorded a time of 2:23:46 in Hamburg (Germany) on 23 April.

For Yaremchuk it will be the first Olympics of her career, while Epis made her Olympic debut in Tokyo 2020, finishing the marathon in 32nd position.

Gangwon 2024, gold record in the history of the Winter YOG. IOC: “Italy shines brightly, it is making history”

• ITALIA TEAM

“Italy is making history.” Three days after the conclusion of the Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympic Games, the IOC's social media delivers a decisive verdict. The Italian contingent in South Korea showcased strength in numbers, dominating the medals table and excelling across various disciplines.

“Italy is shining brightly! They are making history, they are the first country to have won more than 10 medals in a single edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games,” tweeted the IOC.

The gold medal won today by Federico Pozzi (Photo Thomas Lovelock) in the TL sprint cross-country skiing sealed the record.

As things stand, the delegation led by Head of Mission Alessio Palombi has collected 11 golds, 3 silvers and 3 bronzes, for a total of 17 medals that mean Italia Team leads both in the number of golds and the number of podiums, ahead of Germany (7 golds, 4 silvers, 5 bronzes) and France (6 golds, 3 silvers and 4 bronzes).

The Olympic event for the world’s best under-18s will end on 1 February. Medals are still up for grabs. 

Benini Floriani in the ILCA 6 and Germani-Bertuzzi in the 49er:FX: the first two crews for the Games now official

• SAILING

The names of the first two sailing crews that will be part of the Italia Team at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics are official.

In the ILCA 6 class will be Chiara Benini Floriani (photo FIV), who came third last July in the Olympics Test Event held in the waters of Marseille.

In the 49er:FX class, on the other hand, is the tandem formed by Jana Germani and Giorgia Bertuzzi, who in the last edition of the European Championships in Vilamoura (Portugal) distinguished themselves by taking the silver medal.

“Participating in an Olympic Games has been my dream since I was a child, and to have this opportunity at 22 years old makes me really proud. To date, however, the goal of participating has turned into competing for the top positions in the rankings,” said Benini Floriani.

“To be at the Games has been my dream since I was a child in the Optimist class,” said Germani. To think that after so many years the dream is coming true is something indescribable. From now on there will be maximum dedication to make every single moment of training, sacrifice and commitment count.”

Teammate Bertuzzi echoed her: “It has been four long years full of emotions and defeats, but we can finally express our joy for this goal. When I was asked as a child what my dream was, I answered: ‘To participate in the Olympic Games.’ Now I have grown up and my goal is no longer to participate but to return from Paris with a medal.”

“The mosaic of the Olympic team is beginning to come together. I would like to congratulate these three athletes for their commitment, continuity, and the growth with which they have come to earn the blue jersey and enter the elite of world sport,” was the comment of technical director Michele Marchesini.

Gangwon 2024 YOG underway, flag-bearer Tabanelli leads an ambitious Italy

• IN KOREA

The universe: a symbol of the infinite possibilities of youth. The fourth edition of the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Gangwon 2024 begins under the banner of hope. The opening ceremony of the Olympic event dedicated to the world’s best under-18 athletes was staged at the Gangneung Oval, in the presence of the President of the Republic of South Korea, Yoon Suk-yeol, and the IOC leadership, led by President Thomas Bach. Also present in Gangneung to cheer on the Italian team were CONI President and IOC member, Giovanni Malagò, and Secretary General Carlo Mornati. On the ice that hosted the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games, Gangwon 2024 is celebrating its origins by intertwining them with K-Culture, the pop music that has transcended national borders to establish itself in the world. “Now it is your turn,” said Bach, recalling the Games six years ago, “now it is your time to experience this first Olympic event.”

The Italian flag-bearer, Flora Tabanelli, a rising freeski star, made her entrance into the Oval at 8:27 p.m. Korean time, 12:27 p.m. in Italy, together with the flag-bearers of Iran and Ukraine. A parade of colours and flags from the 78 National Olympic Committees competing with 1,802 athletes.

Before Tabanelli, at the start of the ceremony, most of the 74 athletes of the Italia Team paraded, members of a young and ambitious team that wants to assert itself in the 13 out of 15 disciplines in which it will be competing from tomorrow (there will be no Azzurri in bobsleigh and skeleton). The first medals are up for grabs as early as the Korean morning, in the luge with the women's singles and men's doubles and the women's and men's NH jump. Then, to follow, the Azzurri will compete for the podium in the biathlon (women's and men's individual), short track (women's and men's 1500 m) and women's and men's snowboard cross. In the Olympic universe, the Italy Team is looking for its new stars.

Photo (c) 2024 - International Olympic Committee / Wander Roberto - All Rights Reserved. In partnership with ANOC

Italian foil fencers finish fourth in the World Cup in Paris and qualify for the Olympics

• FENCING

The men's national foil team will also feature at the Olympic Games.

After a spectacular Saturday, to say the least, the quartet of Daniele Garozzo, Tommaso Marini, Alessio Foconi and Guillaume Bianchi (photo Federscherma) finished fourth in the team event of the World Cup stage in Paris.

In the French capital, the venue for the Olympics, the Azzurri beat Austria 45-22 and Poland 45-36, then lost the semi-final against the United States 45-44 and the play-off for bronze 45-32 against France and mathematically sealed qualification for the Olympic event. The qualification will entitle Italy to participate in the speciality team competition and also to field the maximum number possible – three foil fencers – in the individual event.

This is the third Italian fencing team to win a place in Paris 2024 after the women's foil and men's epee teams.

Malagò in Tirana, cooperation protocol signed with Albanian Olympic Committee

• CONI

The President of CONI, Giovanni Malagò, and the President of the Albanian Olympic Committee, Fidel Ylli, signed a protocol of technical-sports cooperation in Tirana today. The signing, which took place at the Committee’s headquarters, Parku Olimpik, Rr. “Liman Kaba”, was attended by the Secretary General of the Albanian Olympic Committee, Gerti Shima, and CONI’s Director of Communication, Danilo di Tommaso.

The agreement will involve sharing experiences to bring together athletes, technical and medical-sports structures, for a synergy in that boosts development and the resolution of problems of common interest.

Afterwards, President Malagò met with the Minister of Education and Sport, Ogerta Manastirliu.

Malagò meets Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama for over an hour of talks on sports and socio-economic issues

• IN TIRANA

Over an hour of cordial discussion aimed at strengthening the bond between Italy and Albania. CONI President Giovanni Malagò, in Tirana for the signing of a technical and sporting cooperation agreement with the Albanian Olympic Committee, was received in the afternoon by Prime Minister Edi Rama.

The Prime Minister, formerly Minister of Sport, who before his political career wore the jersey of the national basketball team, discussed with Malagò not only the aspects related to the sports partnership signed today, but also socio-economic issues that concern both countries, confirming the strong relationship between Italy and Albania.

Flora Tabanelli, the rising star of freestyle, has been selected as the flag-bearer for the Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon 2024

• ITALIA TEAM

Flora Tabanelli is the Italian flag-bearer at the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG). The announcement was made by CONI President, Giovanni Malagò, and General Secretary, Carlo Mornati, during the presentation conference, held in Milan, of the Italia Team that will take part in the Olympic event, reserved for the world’s best under-18 athletes, to be held in South Korea from 19 January to 1 February.

Born in Bologna on 20 November 2007, the athlete from Sestola (Modena), who grew up competitively in Trentino with Ski Team Fassa and is a member of the Army, is the future of Italian freestyle. As a child, she practised snowboard cross, skating and artistic gymnastics, but it was with skis on her feet, following in her brother Miro’s footsteps, where her talent shone through right away.

In fact, the Tabanelli siblings represent the present and the future of the discipline, with Flora already making winter sports history.

Last summer, on the snows of Cardrona, in New Zealand, she became the first Italian ever (including males) to win a world title at junior level in freestyle. The not-yet-16-year-old from Emilia won gold at Big Air, a week after winning silver in slopestyle. Fun fact: the last Italian who took world bronze in freeskiing was her brother Miro, in Krasnoyarsk (Russia) in 2021.

A month ago Tabanelli, who attends the Ski College Val di Fassa, registered another record by becoming, at only 16 years of age, the second Italian in the top three of a World Cup big air event with her third place in Beijing. Before her, only Silvia Bertagna had stood on the podium in the speciality, with one success (in 2016), three second places and one third place.

Flora will parade with the Tricolour at the Gangwon 2024 Opening Ceremony to be held on 19 January, at 8pm Korean time, at the Gangneung Oval. Tabanelli will be the second Emilian, after Alberto Tomba, flag-bearer at Albertville 1992, to serve as the Italian flag-bearer in a winter edition of the Olympic Games and the Youth Olympic Games.

The Italian will make her competition debut on 24 January in the slopestyle event scheduled in Hoengseong and, three days later, she will compete in the big air. (agc)

Photo Claudio Scaccini GMT/CONI

Italia Team flag bearers at previous editions of the Winter YOG:

Innsbruck 2012 – Florian Gruber (luge)

Lillehammer 2016 – Felix Schwarz (luge)

Losanna 2020 – Alessia Tornaghi (figure skating)