Women's national foil team grabs second place in Novi Sad, earning a ticket to the Olympic Games

• FENCING

The women’s national foil team is the first Italian fencing team to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Reigning world champions Arianna Errigo, Martina Favaretto, Alice Volpi and Francesca Palumbo complete a sought-after, desired and well-deserved mission at the World Cup stage in Novi Sad. The Italians started by sweeping past Singapore (45-23), before triumphing against Germany (45-22). In the semi-finals, Italy beat Japan 45-31, while the last act saw the United States take victory (45-37). The second place in Serbia guarantees our athletes, still first in the ranking, a place at the Olympics with two competitions to go. This ticket to Paris entitles Italy to participate in the speciality team competition and also to field the maximum number possible, three foil fencers, in the individual event. Meanwhile, hopes are high that the other Italian fencing teams, including the men’s foil team, will also complete their Olympic mission.

Azzurri coaches gather in Rome for “The Female Athlete” seminar. Pastore: "Topic close to our hearts, CONI believes in initiatives like this"

• IMSS CONI

A meeting full of meaning and interesting arguments about sporting dynamics on and off the field. In the Aula Magna of the “Giulio Onesti” Olympic Preparation Centre in Rome, “La Donna Atleta (the Female Athlete)” was held. The seminar, organised by the CONI Institute of Sports Medicine and Science, was aimed at technical directors, coaches, doctors and federal staff. There was a significant response from the various Federations represented here today, to which the IMSS will make available all the contributions of the experts who took part. Hosting duties were performed by Giampiero Pastore, Olympic sabre medallist at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 and Head of the CONI Institute of Medicine and Sport Science, who passed on greetings from the CONI Secretary General Carlo Mornati – who was busy in Milan with the Board of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Foundation – and introduced the event: "We strongly believe in initiatives like this one, it is a seminar that is outside of the box compared to previous ones. We are dealing with a topic that is very much on everyone's mind – so much so that Paris 2024 will be the first Summer Olympics with gender parity, and it is a growing trend at the Winter Games too.” Giuseppe Vercelli, Consultant at the CONI Institute of Sports Medicine and Science, then spoke: "Female athletes have much more measurable goals than a non-athlete. Compared to male athletes, they also place more emphasis on social cohesion, are more open to different leadership styles, have more frequent conversations on personal issues with coaches, and communicate based more on acceptance and self-disclosure. Communication is fundamental, but we must never forget that, done wrong, it can cause harm.” Physical trainer Andrea Cardone, another consultant at the Institute, addressed the issue of gender differences in the style of conducting training: "Talent is a multifaceted natural gift, but it must be nurtured over time. You have to train learning as well as performance. The goal is to make skills operational and practical in training and competition. I believe in a dynamic approach that takes into account that the expression of skill is only found in athletes’ intuition. The four pillars of learning, which are very important for the female gender, are focus, active involvement, returning to the error and consolidation. The performance characteristics that indicate learning are consistency, persistence, improvement and adaptability. The coach must give support but also leave some autonomy to the athlete. Men want to feel involved, women recognised and unique." This was followed by the speech of Valentina Turisini, silver medallist in shooting at Athens 2004 and member of the National Technical Commission, who said: "Women find it harder to be perceived as competent. I think it is important to work with individuals, regardless of their gender. A human being will never give you credit if they do not feel seen and considered by you. Mixed environments, especially when it comes to team sports, are the most balanced.” Enrico Maria Sbardella, shared his experience as Coordinator of the Federcalcio's Women's Youth National Teams: "We always try to adapt tactical situations by taking into account the characteristics of female players. Off the pitch, women are more interested in mistakes – they want more specific information. Key passes and balls won in the opponent's half of the field are the two main factors we analyse." This was followed by the intervention of Daniele Molmenti, London 2012 Olympian and current Technical Director of Canoe Slalomfor the Italian Canoe Kayak Federation: "Working on the differences means exploiting the strengths of women athletes compared to men. We need to focus on natural characteristics, for example elegance in canoeing. Rhythm and applied energy lead women to perform as required in our discipline," he says. "The level and international scale of a competition affect the management aspect of the group," explained Marco Mencarelli, Technical Director of the Federvolley's National Women's Youth Teams and Club Italia projects. Women's volleyball has changed a lot in how competition opportunities arise and in the classifying of those opportunities. Today we have an significant number of female athletes of each generation. I notice gender differences in the immediate handling of defeat: this is something else that is important to work on". The Technical Director of the Italian Rowing Federation, Franco Cattaneo, recounted the major developments in his national team: "About ten years ago, women's rowing changed. We placed an entire team of staff at the disposal of women. It was a very large cultural change. From a methodological point of view, we changed the women's approach to physical training and weightlifting. Today, even in the gym, women train with the same intensity as men, but clearly with different programmes. This also improves their self-esteem; the whole environment benefits. In addition, we have worked to increase competition in the water between the female athletes in training, because to improve you have to “fight” every day, avoiding sparing yourself out of respect for more experienced athletes." In the afternoon, Alberto Di Mario, Consultant at the CONI Institute of Sports Medicine and Science, introduced the topic of training female athletes, and then left time for reflections from professionals who addressed the topic from different perspectives. First up was Antonio Gianfelici, Sports Physician and Consultant at the CONI Institute of Sports Medicine and Science: "If there is such a thing as gender medicine, I don't see why we can't talk about gender training today. Different sensitive phases in the growth of a woman compared to that of a man have always been identified. Moreover, one cannot overlook the impact – including from an emotional perspective – of the menstrual cycle. In any case, it is necessary to think about athlete-centric training, because every human being is different, regardless of gender." Then came Paolo Sangalli, Technical Director of the Federciclismo women's national road team, who analysed the fact that “in cycling there is gender parity in many aspects” and took stock of the Azzurri's qualification path to Paris 2024. The speech by Antonio La Torre, Technical Director of the Italian Athletics Federation, was particularly engaging: "We know very little about women. I hope that in the next four-year Olympic period training courses will be organised solely for women, otherwise it will always be only men who talk about women. There is a language problem that we always overlook. In Italy we have a lot to explore in the female arena, when you consider that great powers like the United States have been investing in this area for years. The world of sport is trying to make progress, sometimes going against the tradition of countries where women are actually forbidden to play sports. There are studies that show that science knows little or nothing about women. Women are adaptable, for example, in terms of their body fibres: why can a female swimmer be competitive in both the 100 and 800 metres, while male swimmers cannot? In the area of training methodology, we really need to study the female world a great deal." The seminar was rounded off by contributions from Professor Andrea Ferretti, Health Director of the CONI Institute of Sports Medicine and Science, and Dr. Maria Rosaria Squeo, Health Director of the Olympic Area of the Institute. "Men and women are different athletes for anatomical, biomechanical, neuromuscular, cartilage, bone density – and sometimes surgical or menstrual cycle and hormone-related – reasons,” explained Ferretti. “Doctors, as well as coaches, must have deep knowledge of scientific concepts. But when we have to solve a problem we need to come up with something different, that goes beyond gender. I don't know whether medicine is a science or an art. For me, it is an art based on strict scientific knowledge. I believe that the coach is also an artist: when they manage to bring out the best in an athlete, they create a work of art.” "Women are complex organisms, and in pregnancy this becomes even more the case, as they undergo more sudden changes," Squeo pointed out. "In this period, physical activity can only do good and reduce the risks to which pregnant women may be exposed, if the nutritional approach is also correct. Our Athletes in Maternity Project stems precisely from the absence of guidelines for high-level athletes”.

2023 Literary and Journalism Awards presented, Malagò: "Honoured to carry on this tradition"

• CONI

The award ceremony for the winners of the 57th National Literary Competition, the 52nd Concorso Nazionale per il Racconto Sportivo (National Competition for Sports Storytelling) and the CONI-USSI 2023 Awards was held in the CONI Salone d’Onore at the Foro Italico in Rome. The event was attended by the President of the Italian National Olympic Committee, Giovanni Malagò, the Secretary General, Carlo Mornati, the President of the National Competition for Sports Storytelling, Giulio Anselmi, the President of the National Literary Competition Paolo Garimberti, the President of the Italian Sports Press Union, Gianfranco Coppola, and Ivana Tosatti, the wife of Giorgio, after whom the special “Una Penna per lo Sport (A Pen for Sport)' Award” is named. "It is a tradition that continues and of which we are very proud," Malagò pointed out in his opening remarks. "There is a special feeling about this award ceremony, which is beautiful because it is varied: there are professionals from very different categories, there is the award in memory of the great Giorgio Tosatti, and more besides. I am very happy to have the honour of carrying on this tradition, which remains a fixture. Being judged by one's own profession is never very easy.” Praise for the contestants came from the President of the National Literary Competition, Paolo Garimberti. Giulio Anselmi, President of the National Competition for Sports Short Stories, also said he was "very satisfied" with the entries received. "Our jury," stressed Gianfranco Coppola, President of the USSI, "finds itself every year judging colleagues in the field, with the exception of the lifetime achievement award, which seals an extraordinary professional career and can boast leading names in its roll of honour. The awards are captivating. It is almost like the presentation of the Oscars: the truth is that sport is a blockbuster". Closing the ceremony was the awarding of the CONI “Una Penna per lo Sport – Giorgio Tosatti” prize to Marino Bartoletti: "I cannot hide my emotion. I am pleased and proud to receive this award in a venue that has significantly contributed to my personal, professional, and cultural development. Giorgio Tosatti was a master. Forty years ago I received the prize for young journalists and it was he who presented it to me. Sport has changed, the narrative of sport has changed – but we have always remained the same. Sport is culture applied to society in everyday life, and these awards are a starting point. We must maintain competence, seriousness and loyalty to our only masters, who are our readers, because we do the most beautiful job in the world. We are in good hands".

The Riccione Winter Italian Championships come to a close: Miressi soars to Paris, Razzetti sets record in the 400m medley

• SWIMMING

Alessandro Miressi was the protagonist of the final day of the Italian Winter Swimming Championships. The 25-year-old from Turin won the 100m freestyle in the Stadio del Nuoto in Riccione: A race time of 47.61 guaranteed him an individual pass for Paris 2024. The Italian, (photo by ANSA), had already secured a national spot for the Olympic Games in July as part of the 4x100m freestyle relay team at the World Championships in Fukuoka. However, the time recorded at the national event cements his individual participation in France in the summer. Alberto Razzetti (photo ANSA) will also be in the French capital. After qualifying in the 200m medley he booked a place in the 400m medley by triumphing in Riccione with a time of 4’09.29, a new Italian record. To recap, there are five swimmers who left the Championships with passes sealed for Paris 2024: Gregorio Paltrinieri, Alberto Razzetti, Thomas Ceccon, Benedetta Pilato and Alessandro Miressi.

Winter Italian Championships, day two: Ceccon and Pilato guarantee a slot at the Olympic Games

• SWIMMING

Thomas Ceccon opened the second day of the Italian Winter Swimming Championships. The day after the impressive displays by Gregorio Paltrinieri and Alberto Razzetti, and in a packed Stadio del Nuoto in Riccione, the Veneto talent triumphed in the 100m backstroke: A time of 52.82 proved enough to gain an individual pass for Paris 2024. The 22-year-old from Thiene (photo ANSA) had already rewarded Italy with a national place for the next Olympic Games along with his teammates with the silver medal in the 4x100m freestyle relay at the Fukuoka World Championships, but in this case he secured an individual Olympic pass. Next up was Benedetta Pilato (photo ANSA). The 18-year-old from Taranto won a spectacular 100m breaststroke final with a time of 1’05.80. This secured her a spot in Paris 2024, where she will strive for the first Olympic medal of her promising career.

National athletics and pentathlon teams received by Mattarella. Malagò: "A unique meeting, thank you President"

• AT THE QUIRINALE

An unprecedented meeting, a well-deserved visit for the great successes achieved in 2023. This morning, the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, received the Italian athletics and modern pentathlon champions, protagonists of a year full of successes. Never before, as CONI President Giovanni Malagò emphasised, had the Italian Athletics Federation and the Italian Modern Pentathlon Federation been given their own reception at the Quirinale. The meeting was attended by the women and men from the track and field team captained by Gianmarco Tamberi and protagonist of the historic European Cup victory in Silesia 2023, the pentathlon world champion in Bath 2023 and winner of the 2023 World Cup final Elena Micheli, the world champion runner-up and European champion in Krakow 2023 Alice Sotero, the European champion Giorgio Malan and Alessandra Frezza, world team gold together with Micheli and Sotero. The Azzurri were accompanied to the Quirinale by President Malagò, CONI Secretary General Carlo Mornati, FIDAL President Stefano Mei, FIPM President Fabrizio Bittner and their respective Technical Directors, Antonio La Torre for athletics and Andrea Valentini for the modern pentathlon. The Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi, was also present. "It is indeed a great pleasure for me to welcome you to the Quirinale, together with the Minister for Sport," said President Mattarella. "I would like to thank President Malagò and Presidents Mei and Bittner very much for organising this meeting, which I was very keen to hold. I would like to express my congratulations and thanks for your achievements. These important successes do not end with the many medals and the great, prestigious victories. Alongside this extraordinary record, the fact that you have undoubtedly inspired so many young people to get involved in sport is significant. And this is a great achievement, for which we are even more thankful. Congratulations for these achievements, for these goals. Best wishes for the future. The next stages will be the Paris Olympics and the European Athletics Championships in Rome two months before that. I will be there, of course. I don't know how often, but I hope at least to attend the opening," concluded the Head of State. "Mr President, we thank you for once again opening the doors of the Quirinale to the athletes of Italian sport," began President Malagò. "Today's meeting is in some ways both unique and unprecedented. Before you are the delegations of two important and prestigious Federations that have brought prestige to our history but that, for various reasons, had never had the opportunity to be received alone by the Head of State. I am referring to athletics – commonly referred to as the Queen of the Olympics – and to the modern pentathlon, one of the oldest and most gruelling disciplines of the Olympic world. Mr. President, this is the Italy that wins, this is the Italy that sends positive messages, this is the Italy that honours our flag and makes Mameli’s anthem ring out throughout the world." After Malagò, the presidents of FIDAL and FIPM took the floor: "2023 is a year to remember for us, a historic year, I would say," Mei remarked. "The Olympic Games in Paris represent the most awaited moment of the next season, but for us the European Championships in Rome will also be a key event: our desire is to come back to the Quirinale in a year's time to celebrate new successes." "Mr President, it is with great pleasure that we find ourselves here before you, in a year that has been, to say the least, fabulous for our sport, and for which I express my heartfelt gratitude," said Bittner. "Out of the six international events that are important for our discipline, in the World Cup Final, the European Championships in Krakow and the World Championships in Bath, Italy, our athletes, and our Federation have achieved four victories." An important message came from Gianmarco Tamberi: "When we wear the blue shirt every athlete brings Italy with them. Representing our country is an immense honour but also a great pressure," stressed the captain of the Italian national athletics team. "Sometimes we receive heavy personal criticism, an aspect on which I would like to dwell: it is important to recognise that we are human, we are not immune from mistakes. We ask everyone to recognise our humanity. When we athletes are free from judgments on our performance, we are able to overcome our limits: that is why I would like to ask everyone, from the media to the fans, to look at us athletes as ambassadors of values, perseverance and dedication, and as human beings, who try everything to take Italy as far as possible." Finally, a special thank you to the President of the Republic also came from Elena Micheli: "It is an honour for me to be here, I hope to have honoured Italy by becoming world champion in Bath for the second year running. To make the national anthem ring out by carrying the tricolour onto the top step of the podium was emotional, to say the least. With Alice Sotero and Giorgio Malan we will represent Italy at the Olympic Games in Paris: for us this is an achievement, but at the same time an important goal, for which we will prepare ourselves in the best possible way," concluded Micheli. Tamberi and Micheli then gave the President a copy of the European Team Championship Trophy, a copy of the gold medal from the World Pentathlon Championships in Bath 2023 and autographed jerseys of both national teams.

Winter Italian Championships: Gregorio Paltrinieri and Alberto Razzetti win individual Olympic passes

• SWIMMING

The first evening of finals of the winter version of the Italian Championships ended with a tally of two individual Olympic passes. At the Stadio del Nuoto in Riccione, in the opening session, Gregorio Paltrinieri secured his spot at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris. The Italian phenomenon (photo Andrea Staccioli/DBM) dominated the first heat of the 1500 freestyle, completing the event in 14:41.38 and demolishing the Federation's set time limit of 14:44.0. For “Super Greg,” therefore, the doors to the Games have swung open wide for the fourth time in his career. In the pool, he proudly holds the gold from Rio in 2016 (1500m freestyle) and the silver medal he claimed two years ago in Tokyo (800m freestyle). In the penultimate final of the day, Alberto Razzetti excelled and snatched an individual pass for Paris 2024 by winning the 200m medley event with a time of 1:56.21. Alberto Razzetti's remarkable performance, the sixth all-time best in Europe, kept the Ligurian well below the time limit (1:57.00), enabling him to improve on the Italian record he had previously established. For “Razzo” (photo ANSA), already a protagonist in Tokyo 2020, the French Games will be the second Olympics of his career. Italian swimming can celebrate its second and third quota pass for the Olympic event in Paris, the first two at a ranking level after the national place guaranteed to Italy by the men’s 4x100 freestyle relay at the last World Championships in Fukuoka (Japan).

On the field against gender violence; topic of prevention will inspire activities in CONI Centres 2023-2024

• LOCAL AREAS

The CONI Centres season 2023/2024, the well-established CONI youth activity project that has seen the number of associations and clubs asking to join every year, is back in full swing. To date 1,000 applications have already been received from all over Italy and this, in addition to allowing real sports movement growth for young people, offers various benefits to participating associations, such as an annual recognition plaque and free training for their coaches, as well as sports equipment for the youngsters. Yesterday, the first national meeting was held remotely, with 114 regional trainers taking part. The meeting was opened by CONI Vice President Claudia Giordani, with many CONI Regional Presidents attending – together with the National Technical Commission for Youth Activities – to discuss the organisation and planning of goals and proposals for this sporting year. The meeting, which took place in accordance with continuous improvement, led to numerous suggestions. In addition to the CONI Centres' now widespread method, which targets a multidisciplinary approach and building young athletes' sports movement skills through play, the proposal to send monthly feedback to the National Sports Federations and the relevant amateur clubs and associations was added, thus fostering a climate of greater communication and continuous monitoring on an annual basis. Further inspiration for improvement comes from the desire to strengthen the relationship between CONI and universities, with the aim of entering into internship agreements within CONI Centres, since, as highlighted during the discussion, growth inevitably comes from interfacing with young undergraduates who approach local CONI organisations operationally. "As educators we have a huge responsibility," said Cecilia D'Angelo, Head of the CONI Territorial Directorate, and for this reason, echoing the wishes of the audience, she proposed that prevention of gender-based violence should become the common theme that will guide the new 2023/2024 CONI Centres' sports season. The entire CONI organisation for local areas will commit, in the field of training, to a new and practical project that views sport as an important way to combat gender violence and a tool to raise awareness on equality: these are very relevant topics and, unfortunately, particularly significant at the current time in our country. The aim of the initiative is to educate young people who participate in the CONI Centres to promote a culture of fair play through self-respect and respect for other human beings, breaking down the stereotypes that are also present in the world of sport, thereby promoting a real cultural change in the generations of today and tomorrow.

Fabio Cannavaro in the Walk of Fame of italian sport: “A great thrill. I am proud”

• CONI

There is a new world champion in the Walk of Fame of Italian sport. The name on the latest plaque unveiled on the legendary Foro Italico soil is that of Fabio Cannavaro. A former defender for Napoli, Parma, Inter, Juventus, Real Madrid and Al-Ahli, the Neapolitan centre-back was captain and leader of the national team, with which he won the 2006 World Cup in Germany. That unforgettable triumph also earned him another important award that places him among the sporting elite – the Ballon d’Or. Cannavaro is the last Italian, as well as the last defender, to receive the award established in 1956 by the French sports magazine France Football, whose roll of honour includes most of the top stars of the past and current centuries. CONI President Giovanni Malagò and Secretary General Carlo Mornati attended the Walk of Fame ceremony, which followed the one held on 26 October. In the words of Giovanni Malagò, "Fabio needs no introduction. World Champion, Ballon d'Or: he is representative of something that has made us proud. Italian football has had many champions, but few have entered the Walk of Fame. It is a choice made by the Athletes' Commission: these are sportspeople who represent sportspeople for eternity. This plaque consecrates Cannavaro among the sporting greats of our country." Visibly emotional, the former national team mainstay expressed his pleasure: "Thank you. I feel a great thrill. Being here to represent Italian sport is an immense satisfaction for me, it is the fruit of a career crowned with the World Cup title, for which I will always thank my teammates. I am proud".

Gangwon 2024, Dominik Windisch among the 17 'Athlete Role Models' chosen by IOC

• YOG

The Youth Winter Olympic Games (YOG), scheduled in Gangwon (Korea) from January 19 to February 1 of 2024 are getting closer and closer.

Ahead of the prestigious event, the IOC has announced the names of the 17 athletes who will take on the role of 'Athlete Role Models' (ARM).

Among them is former Italian biathlete Dominik Windisch, who in his career has been able to win three Olympic bronze medals: one in the mixed relay in Sochi 2014 and the other two respectively in the sprint race and again in the mixed relay in Pyeongchang 2018. In his palmares, there are also a gold, a silver and a bronze at the World Championships, as well as a total of 14 podiums obtained on the World Cup circuit.

The ARMs will act as mentors for all the young athletes who will compete on Korean soil. The aim will be to pass on their experience and knowledge gained in their Olympic careers. In Gangwon, they will be a valuable tool available to athletes and their entourages to support them during competitions, training and in the Youth Olympic Village during a series of educational activities and workshops.

The ARM program is part of the broader 'Athlete Education Program' (AEP), which is designed to maximize the learning experience of all athletes and their entourage members. It has been an integral part of YOG since its first edition in Singapore in 2010.

"Young athletes look up to Olympians and try to follow in their footsteps, in sport as well as in life," said Kaveh Mehrabi. The ARMs embody the values of Olympism and act as beacons of excellence, respect and friendship, seeking to guide younger athletes towards achieving their dreams," concluded the Director of the IOC Athletes' Department. (agc)