Smiles for the iQFOiL and kite Azzurri at the World Championships: full house of Olympic cards for Italia Team

• SAILING

Four Italian crews won their quotas for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris on the third-to-last day of the Sailing World Championships held in the Dutch waters of The Hague.

Nicolò Renna (photo Marta Orsini/FIV) and Marta Maggetti gained access to the Medal Race with first and fourth place finishes in the men’s and women's iQFOiL respectively, earning one of the 11 Olympic quotas reserved for each gender.

Good news also from kite, where the very young Riccardo Pianosi passed the preliminary phase in third place, securing one of the Olympic passes guaranteed to the top eight by gender. 

Fifteenth place, meanwhile, went to Maggie Eillen Pescetto in the women’s competition. Although she missed out on the Medal Race, she secured a valuable national place for Italy at Paris 2024. The decisive factor proved to be the presence of two French athletes (out of the competition given the passes assigned to the host country) ahead of her and several rivals belonging to the same NOC (each Olympic Committee can only qualify one crew for each sailing class). 

This takes the tally of Italian crews qualified for Paris 2024 to five after Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti won a quota in Nacra 17, where they finished by taking the gold medal in style.

Tita and Banti lead the world championship in the Nacra 17: first Olympic pass for Italia Team

• SAILING

Sailing’s first Olympic card for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris will bear the name of Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti.

After six days of world championship regattas in The Hague (Netherlands) the Italian pair brilliantly managed to achieve the pass for the Medal Race in the Nacra 17 class, obtaining one of the Olympic quota berths reserved for the nine best NOCs.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic champions (photo ANSA) finished the qualifying phase with two wins and a third place, sealing the top spot from Britain’s John Gimson and Anna Burnet and Sweden’s Emil Jarudd and Hanna Jonsson.

The decisive day for the medal awards is Thursday 17 August, with Tita and Banti who, certain of at least a medal after having excelled in 10 of the 15 races held, will try to establish themselves on the top step of the world championship podium after the gold won last year in the waters of Halifax (Canada).

They will also attempt to compete for a position with two other Italian pairs: Vittorio Bissaro and Maelle Frascari, fifth at the end of the preliminary races, and Gianluigi Ugolini and Maria Giubilei (sixth).

Filippo Ganna takes silver at the World Championships in Glasgow: Italy guarantees a place at the Olympic time trial

• CYCLING

Filippo Ganna returned to the podium in the time trial at the Cycling World Championships.

The Italian rider from Verbania (photo ANSA), world champion in 2020 and 2021, won the silver medal in today’s time trial in Stirling (near Glasgow), redeeming himself after last year’s seventh place in Wollongong (Australia).

In Scotland, the Italian raced the 47.8 km course in 55:31.51, beaten by just 12.28 seconds by Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel (gold with 55:19.23). Bronze, meanwhile, went to Britain’s Joshua Tarling (56:07.43).

For the Piedmontese rider, this was his third honours at this world championship event after having claimed gold in individual pursuit and another silver in team pursuit on the track.

Thanks to Ganna’s podium place, Italy should now qualify through the national rankings that will conclude on 17 October, guaranteeing a place in the men’s time trial at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

In the rankings as of 8 August 2023, Italy provisionally holds eighth place, which would secure three places in the individual race.

World Championships in Bern: Matteo Zurloni wins gold in speed and gains pass for Paris 2024

• SPORT CLIMBING

First individual pass for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics in sport climbing for Italia team.

In Bern (Switzerland), Matteo Zurloni won the gold medal in speed and, as well as the world championship podium, guaranteed one of the Olympic quotas reserved for the two top athletes.

The good omens for the Italian (photo ANSA) were apparent right from the qualifying rounds, in which he managed to secure an excellent sixth place.

Later, in the round of 16, he got the better of Frenchman Bassa Mawem before overcoming China’s Peng Wu in the quarter-finals. Here he further improved his European record (5.02), a considerable confidence boost ahead of the two final challenges. 

With a time of 5.13 he dominated the semi-final against Indonesia’s Rahmad Adi Mulyono (8.01), who eventually had to settle for the bronze medal.

Zurloni, on the strength of his newly won Olympic quota place, went on to fight for the most precious metal with the other Chinese athlete Jinbao Long. The 21-year-old from Lombardy held his nerves, completing his climb in 5.56 and successfully taking advantage of the Asian athlete’s false start.

Finally, not such good news from the women’s race. Here, Giulia Randi failed to make it beyond the last 16, defeated by the strong Indonesian Desak Mate Rita Kusuma Dewi.

Hungary Masters: third place for Assunta Scutto in the -48kg class in Budapest

• JUDO

First podium for Italy at the Hungary Masters in judo.

In Budapest, in the -48kg category, Assunta Scutto came third.

The Italian eliminated China’s Zongying Guo on her debut, before losing to Mongolia’s Baasankh Bavuudorj.

In the repechages, the Neapolitan athlete won first against Portugal’s Catarina Costa, then, in the final challenge, against Serbia’s Milica Nikolic.

Third place, therefore, went to Assunta Scutto (photo IJF), who came away with precious points towards the qualification rankings for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Milan-Cortina 2026, Meloni: “Opportunity to show the world who we are”. Malagò: “Sport is a vehicle for inclusion”

• MEETING IN ROME

“The Olympics and Paralympics are a great opportunity to show the world once again who we are. The Games are a way to turn the world’s spotlight onto Italy. And I do not have to remind you what this means for our economy, for our production chains, for the excellence of our products and our industrial system”.

Those were the words of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The support that the Prime Minister and the Government have always shown for the Olympic and Paralympic project gave the Milano-Cortina 2026 Foundation the opportunity to inform the business sector about the Italian Games at a meeting that took place yesterday afternoon at the Casino del Bel Respiro, inside Rome’s Villa Pamphilj. This opportunity to share the project was promoted by the Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi, and was attended by the Minister of Justice, Carlo Nordio, the Minister of Economy and Finance, Giancarlo Giorgetti, the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests, Francesco Lollobrigida, the Minister of Health, Orazio Schillaci, the Minister of Tourism, Daniela Santanchè, and the Minister for Institutional Reforms and Regulatory Simplification, Maria Elisabetta Alberti Casellati.

The Foundation’s senior management, including President Giovanni Malagò, Vice-President Luca Pancalli and CEO Andrea Varnier, described to President Meloni and leading figures from Italian companies, the value and impact that the Olympic and Paralympic project has for the country. It will be everyone’s Games – all over Italy. An opportunity to witness the Italian spirit and show a global audience of more than 3 billion people the excellence of Italian territories. It will not be just Milan, or just Cortina, or just 2026: from today, and well beyond the Games, Milano Cortina 2026 will be a tangible legacy for the country and, above all, for future generations.

The first Winter Olympics and Paralympics spread over a territory of more than 22,000 square kilometres, the first with two cities in the name, Milan and Cortina, which will embrace two regions – Lombardy and Veneto – and two Autonomous Provinces – Trento and Bolzano. A great sporting spectacle that will show the world the champions of winter disciplines competing in Cortina against the backdrop of the Dolomites, a Unesco World Heritage Site – but that’s not all. In Milan there will be ice sports; the spectacular Ceremonies at the San Siro and the Arena in Verona; the biathlon at Anterselva, an international excellence of this sport; men’s downhill skiing on the legendary Stelvio in Bormio; the adrenaline of snowboarding and freestyle in Livigno; the magic of Val di Fiemme with Predazzo and Tesero, home of Nordic disciplines. An Olympics and Paralympics spread over different areas that will enhance sporting and territorial excellence, giving each sport its own perfect scenario.

A new model for the Games, conceived in accordance with the Agenda 2020 and the International Olympic Committee’s New Norm. Later, with the Paralympics, Italy will have the opportunity to contribute to the realisation of the International Paralympic Committee’s vision: “A more inclusive world thanks to Paralympic sport”. Milano Cortina 2026 as the country’s project. An opportunity and a great challenge to overcome together. “My personal and heartfelt thanks to President Meloni and the Italian Government - commented Giovanni Malagò, the President of the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation - for the support they have always shown towards what will be, to all intents and purposes, the most important event our country will host in the coming years. Sport has always been an excellence of our country, capable of evoking in everyone the deepest sense of national pride and unity. At the same time, it is also a powerful vehicle for inclusion that will embrace and welcome fans, media, and representatives of international federations from all over the world”.

Gold for foil fencers and epee fencers at the World Championships in Milan: an important step towards Paris 2024

• FENCING

Italian fencing continues to make its mark at the World Championships in Milan.

Indeed, on the second day dedicated to the team trials, a double gold medal was secured on the Allianz MiCo pistes. 

Arianna Errigo, Martina Favaretto, Alice Volpi, and Francesca Palumbo triumphed in women’s foil while Gabriele Cimini, Davide Di Veroli, Andrea Santarelli, and Federico Vismara won in men’s epee.

With this result both teams (photo Federscherma) take a decisive step in their respective qualification paths towards the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

The Italian women debuted in the draw directly in the round of 16, in which they easily saw off Romania (45-18). They also cruised through the quarter-finals against Germany, who went down to a one-sided score of 45-23. The women, led by coach Stefano Cerioni, went on to secure their route to the final with a convincing 43-30 defeat of Japan.

The gold medal match, in the end, saw the Azzurri take on France with Pauline Ranvier, Solene Butruille, Morgane Patru and Ysaora Thibus. The French women were forced to surrender 45-39 in a match that saw them in the hunt from the first to the last bout.

There were hugs and tears for our foil fencers, who managed to repeat the title won last year in Cairo (Egypt). Completing the podium was Japan, who got the better of the USA 45-34 in the final for bronze.

No less exciting was the route taken by the Azzurri men, who in the first round and the round of 16 barely gave either Brazil (44-21) or Egypt (44-25) a chance. Later, in the quarter-finals, it took a determined performance to tame the Czech Republic, who succumbed by just 38-36.

Managed by coach Dario Chiadò, the men returned to dominate the proceedings once again in the semi-finals, wrapping things up with a score of 35-23 against a tough Venezuela team.

The showdown, just as in the women’s foil, saw the Italians face off against France, represented on the piste by Gaetan Billa, Romain Cannone, Alexandre Bardenet and Yannick Borel. After an equal start, the tricolour team took the lead, annihilating their opponents with a resounding 45-32.

It was a huge feat for our fencers who, after last year’s silver medal, finally brought the world championship title back to Italy after 30 years. Finally, bronze went to Venezuela, who beat Korea 45-41 in the final for a place on the podium.

Maribor: Italia Team closes with 46 medals. Saraceni and Del Signore flag-bearers at the closing ceremony

• EYOF 2023

Italia Team won the medals table at the 17th edition of the European Youth Olympic Festival in Maribor (Slovenia) reserved for Under-18 athletes. The Azzurrini finished with 46 medals (16 gold, 18 silver and 12 bronze), one shy of last year’s edition when they scooped 21 gold, 12 silver and 14 bronze medals in Banska Bystrica. In the evening there was the closing ceremony featuring the handover of the torch between the Slovenian city and Skopje, the North Macedonian city that will organise the 2025 edition of the summer EYOF.

On the clay of the Branik Tennis Club, Vito Antonio Darderi defeated Austria’s Thilo Emil Behrmann 7-5, 6-1 to win gold in the male singles. After a hard-fought first set, which saw the Italian find the break at the key moment, Darderi unloaded on his shots in the next set to go 5-0 up before the Austrian managed to hold his serve to take his only game of the set.

Tommaso Brugnami ended the EYOF by winning his sixth medal. In today’s speciality finals, the Italian won gold in vaulting while Emma Fioravanti and Manuel Berettera took silver in the floor exercise and on bars.

Athletics produced silver medals for Aldo Rocchi in the triple jump and in the female medley relay (100-200-300-400 metres), plus bronze in the male relay. The Italian finished with 15.72, a new personal best, just one centimetre behind the Greek Ioannis Gkartsios, who took gold with 15.73. Bronze went to France’s Jeremie Nzoungou with 15.48. The female quartet, who took gold in Banska Bystrica, finished in 2:06.45 behind Romania, first in 2:06.13. Third step of the podium went to the Czech Republic. The male relay team, meanwhile, had to wait before they were able to celebrate sealing the bronze medal: having initially finished in fourth place, they were promoted to third following the disqualification of the Portuguese team. The final haul for athletics at the 17th EYOF was one gold, five silver and two bronze medals.

Closing the medals table for Italia team was the male volleyball team with the silver medal. The Italian national team was defeated in the final by France in four sets (23-25, 15-25, 25-22, 20-25).

The flag-bearers who, getting underway at 20:30, will parade at the head of the Italian delegation in the square in Trg Svobode will be Daniele Del Signore, winner of six gold medals in swimming, and Erika Giorgia Anoeta Saraceni, a jumper who claimed gold in the triple jump with the best Italian U18 performance of 13.42 yesterday. The ceremony will be broadcast live on ItaliaTeam TV.

World Championships in Milan: fencers win silver and claim large points haul for the Olympic rankings

• FENCING

The first podium for Italy in the team event of the Fencing World Championships arrived in Milan.

Indeed, on the Allianz MiCo pistes, the quartet of Rossella Fiamingo, Mara Navarria, Alberta Santuccio and Federica Isola won the silver medal in the women’s epee, taking a very important leap towards the qualification ranking for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

The Italian women, after their swift wins in yesterday’s preliminary rounds against Finland (45-22) and Canada (45-30), were immediately called upon to raise their game today.

In the quarter-finals, they got the better of Hong Kong 29-26 before achieving another hard-fought triumph over Switzerland, who fell in the semi-finals with a score of 40-36.

The final act also proved to be a well-balanced affair against Poland with Renata Knapik-Miazga, Martyna Swatowska-Wenglarczyk, Magdalena Pawlowska and Ewa Trzebinska. After a match in which they had led throughout, the women, coached by Dario Chiadò, suffered in the ninth and final bout to drop behind their opponents, who managed to end with the score of 32-28 in their favour.

The Italian squad once again therefore made it onto the second step of the podium after the other silver medal obtained last year on the pistes in Cairo (Egypt). 

Third place in the end went to Korea, who defeated the Swiss women 45-32 in the bronze medal match.

Skopje confirmed as Summer EYOF 2025 host

• EOC

The European Olympic Committees (EOC) has announced that Skopje, North Macedonia will host the 18th edition of the Summer European Youth Olympic Festival in 2025.

The decision was confirmed during the successful EYOF in Maribor, Slovenia, where more than 2,400 of Europe’s best young athletes are competing in 11 different sport disciplines.

First held in Brussels, Belgium in 1991, the EYOFs offer athletes aged 14-18 the chance to participate in an international multi-sport event, with 54 gold medallists having gone on to become Olympic champions in their disciplines.

North Macedonia will become the 25th European country to host a Festival and the 16th to host the summer edition. EOC President Spyros Capralos thanked the Mayor of Skopje Danela Arsovska and North Macedonian National Olympic Committee (NOC) President Daniel Dimevski for their commitment to host the event.

President Capralos said: “The EOC is delighted to announce Skopje as the host for the 2025 Summer EYOF. We are sure that they will organise a successful event and provide the young athletes of Europe with memories to last a lifetime in North Macedonia. During our discussions with the North Macedonian Olympic Committee, the Mayor of Skopje and the Deputy Prime Minister, their enthusiasm for the EYOF was clear to see and that was especially pleasing for us. It is always important to the EOC that we hold our events in countries across Europe and I look forward to working closely with all involved in North Macedonia over the next two years”.

North Macedonia NOC President Daniel Dimevski said: “On my behalf and all other important stakeholders in the country I ensure you that the EYOF 2025 in Skopje will set new high standards in term of venues, number of sports, facilities etc. In addition to wonderful food and warm hospitality. I look forward to seeing you in Skopje”.

EOC EYOF Commission Chair Liney Halldórsdóttir conducted a site visit to Skopje with EOC Sport Director Peter Brull ahead of Maribor 2023 and praised the standard of facilities on offer in the city.

Halldórsdóttir said: “During our visit to Skopje, we were very impressed with the standard and range of facilities that the city has for sport. We are confident that their state of the art venues will allow the young athletes to perform at their best in two years’ time. It was clear from our time spent with the Deputy Prime Minster Fatmir Bytyqi, Mayor Arsovska and President Dimevski, that they are all excited to host the EYOF and ready to offer their full support during the preparation period. Having this commitment from the key stakeholders will ensure that we are able to host a successful event in 2025”.

Representative from North Macedonia have been attending events in Maribor this week and will have the honour of receiving the EOC flag at the Summer EYOF 2023 Closing Ceremony on Saturday, 29 July 2023.