The curtain rises on Taragona 2018, Italy marches with the standard bearer, Pellielo

• OPENING CEREMONIES

The curtain rises on the 2018 XVIII Mediterranean Games of Tarragona. In a ceremony that celebrated the past of this ancient Roman colony which is about one hundred kilometres from Barcelona, the athletes of the 26 Countries participating painted the Estadi Club Gimnàstic with their smiles and their flags, under the gaze of King Felipe VI, present in the stands, together with the new Premier, Pedro Sanchez, the Mayor of Tarragona and the Chairman of the Organising Committee, Josep Félix Ballesteros, and the Chairman of the Catalogna Quim Torra and representatives of European sports, starting with the Chairman of the International Committee of the Mediterranean Games, Amar Addadi and the Secretary of the European Olympic Committees, Raffaele Pagnozzi. Also in the stands was Davide Tizzano, member of the Executive Committee of the Games, and various Federal Chairmen.

The Italian delegation (the largest at the Games with 409 athletes), entered the stadium around 9:29 p.m., after France and before Kosovo, in addition to the Mission Head, Anna Riccardi, it was captained by Giovanni “Johnny” Pellielo, timeless undisputed champion of Skeet Shooting who takes the baton from his team-mate, the Olympic athlete, Jessica Rossi - standard bearer in Mersin 2013 - becoming the oldest standard bearer of all time in the history of Italian multi-discipline events, with his 48 years (passing D’Inzeo, standard bearer at 43 in Mexico in 1968).

Starting today - the first Italians in archery, volley ball and football have already made their appearance - until the first of July, Team Italy will try to wave the Tricolour flag high. Starting tomorrow, when the first medals will be awarded of an event that focuses on uniting in the name of sports.

The countdown to Minsk 2019 begins, 365 days until the European Games

• #ONEYEARTOGO

One year until Minsk 2019, the official countdown begins for the second edition of the European Games that will be hosted in Belarus from 21 to 30 June 2019.

The clock was unveiled in the Capital today that will count down the minutes until the opening ceremonies and, for the event, the iconic Dinamo Stadium was reopened, after the restoration work, which will be one of the 12 competition venues. In compliance with the instructions included in the Agenda 2020 of the IOC which encourages the legacy and sustainability of sports events, 11 of these facilities already exist, with the exception of the beach soccer location which is newly built.

In the morning, a charity fun run started the day of celebrations for the second edition of the multi-sports event which debuted in Baku 2015 and is held every four years under the aegis of the European Olympic Committees.

The 2019 event, assigned during the 45th Meeting of the EOC which in fact was held in 2016 in Belarus, assumes particular significance because among the 15 sports on the schedule, 10 will qualify the European athletes for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

One year from an event that will schedule over 200 competitions that award medals, Minsk is fine tuning the last details to best introduce itself to the 4000 athletes expected in the Capital, together with 2000 technicians and officials representing 50 European Olympic Committees.

EURO 2020: The dates are official, the first competition will be held on 12 June at the Olimpico of Rome

• FOOTBALL

The Olympic Stadium of Rome will host on Friday, 12 June (9:00 p.m.) the inaugural match of UEFA EURO 2020. It will be the first travelling European Championship in the history of football which, to celebrate 60 years of competition, will be played in 12 different cities of the continent. The dates of all the tournament matches were made official today during the UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Kiev.
The Olympic Stadium of the capital will also be the site on Saturday, 4 July (9:00 p.m.) for one of the quarter finals, with the three other meetings to be held on 3 July in St. Petersburg (6:00 p.m.) and Munich (9:00 p.m.), the 4th in Baku (6:00 p.m.). Semi-final and final matches will be played in Wembley Stadium in London, on 7 and 8 July at 9:00 p.m. and 12 July at the same time.

THE UEFA EURO 2020 PATH The idea for a European for Europe (Euro for Europe) began in December 2012, when the proposal of the chairman at the time, Michel Platini, was approved by the UEFA Executive Committee in London. In April 2013 the invitation to submit the dossier was sent to the federations and the following September 32 expressions of interest were announced. On 25 April 2014, 19 cities submitted their application to UEFA: 2 (London and Munich) both for the standard package and for the final one; 17 for the standard package. On 10 September 2014, the technical assessment of UEFA was made official with a qualitative opinion on the applications. The document was sent to the members of the Executive Committee which, on 19 September in Geneva, awarded the semi-finals and final to London (Wembley), to Rome, Munich (Germany), St. Petersburg (Russia) and Baku (Azerbaijan) three matches of the first round and one quarter final; Copenhagen (Denmark), Bucharest (Romania), Amsterdam (Holland), Dublin (Ireland), Brussels (Belgium) Bilbao (Spain), Budapest (Hungary) and Glasgow (Scot;and) the first round matches and the round of sixteen.

On Wednesday, 17 June, and Sunday, 21 June (times to be defined) the other two matches of Group A will be played in Rome, chosen to host the opening game, while, as announced last 7 December, Baku will host the other three matches of the group on 13, 17 and 21 June. In the group stage, between two and four matches per day will be played from 12 to 24 June, while the round of 16 will be played from 27 to 30 June.

National Council Statement

• CONI

The 259th National Council of CONI met this afternoon at 16.00 in the Salone d’Onore of Foro Italico.

The start of the work was preceded by the awards related to the second edition of “Excellent Athlete, Excellent Student”, the competition established by the CNA Management Committee and approved by the CONI Board and addressed at young athletes of national interest included in the lists of the National Teams who earn a high school diploma in Italy. The representatives of the Athletes Commission, composed of Kelum Perera, Margherita Granbassi, Carlo Molfetta, Silvia Salis and Mara Santangelo, presented the following awards for 2017: Andrea Corsi (FIH), Giorgia Di Credico e Viola Donadello (FIPSAS), Alessandra Patelli (FIC), Sebastiano Poma (FIBS), Francesco Puppi e Laura Strati (FIDAL), Veronica Zappone (FISG), Silvia Zennaro (FIV), Giada Andreutti (FIDAL), Gianluca Allegretti (FIPSAS), Maria Beatrice Barberis (FIP), Ottavia Cestonaro (FIDAL), Elena Di Liddo (FIN), Francesca Dincao (FIT), Caterina Dotto (FIP), Eleonora Ferrero (FIDAL), Giulia Galligani (FIH), Sara Gama (FIGC), Francesca Genzo (FICK), Simone Marinai (FIGC), Giulia Pacella (FIH), Stefania Pirozzi (FIN), Alessia Polieri (FIN), Giulia Rulli (FIP), Arianna Talamona (FIN paralympic), Federica Tognalini (FIP), Maria Anna Szczepanska (FICK)

The National Council then discussed the following Agenda:

1) Approval of the minutes of the meeting on 09 April 2018: unanimously approved.

2) Statement by the President: Malagò opened the session with a moving speech about Rebecca Braglia, the young rugby player of Amatori Parma, who passed away last week. Afterwards the other people in the sporting world who had passed away in the last month were remembered and at the same time highlighted the significant results achieved by Italian athletes in the same period.

Malagò then discussed the subject of the Olympic applications, specifying that the procedures for the dialogue phase with Milan, Turin and Cortina d’Ampezzo has started and that the decision would be made during the summer months. Then the relations between the Agencies of Promotion, Federations and Associated Disciplines were discussed: the establishment is being considered, within the Guarantee Council, of a branch to be given the responsibility of resolving disputes between the various organisations. After the final approval of the CONI Articles of Association, during the National Council of July, the commissioners ad acta called to standardise the various federal articles of association with the main informers of the Body will be identified.

Then the focus was directed, by the Secretary General Carlo Mornati, on the organisational aspects linked to the preparation of Tokyo 2020 and the Mediterranean Games of Tarragona. Among the resolutions approved was the one relative to reducing the quota of non-EU nationals to 59. Lastly, the events that will be held in Rome and the Foro Italico next May were remembered (Final of the TIM CUP of football, International Tennis matches, Piazza di Siena, Golden Gala, Settecolli and the lef of the Giro d’Italia 2018). The National Council then saluted the re-election of Flavio Roda at the helm of the FISI and the journalist, Ruggero Palombo, who ended - after 23 years - his partnership with the Gazzetta dello Sport.

The following participated on the report and other subjects of a general nature: Mario Pescante (CIOmember), Margherita Granbassi (Athletes Commission), Alberto De Nigro (Auditor), Luciano Rossi (Skeet Shooting). 

3) F.S.N .- D.S.A. - E.P.S. activities: The following resolution was unanimously approved: Overall limit of 1090 admissions of foreign athletes from Countries not belonging to the European Community (59 less than 2017-2018)

4) Administrative Affairs and CONI Balance Sheet: The CONI 2017 Balance Sheet approved today unanimously by the National Council of CONI reports a break even result (+ € 0.208 mln), in line with the 2016 result and the closing estimated notified towards the end of last year.

The production value comes to € 445.7 mln, of which the principal components are represented by the MEF resources (€ 418.6 mln), by the contributions received from Ministries (€ 10/mil.), from commercial revenues for the use of the CONI trademark (€ 6.1mln), from contributions gathered from Local Bodies directly by the regional committees (€ 8.7 mln).

The production costs of € 445.1 mln were allocated mainly to the Federations for an amount over € 290 mln (about 65% of the total production cost). The other components of the production cost were represented by the contributions to the other bodies financed (€ 32.4 mln), by the share of the fee of the services contract referred to the activities carried out by the Company on CONI’s behalf (€ 59.3 mln. excl. VAT) by the amounts allocated to the State for VAT and in application of the containment rules on public spending (€ 24.4 mln, or 5% of the production cost), in addition to the costs incurred directly by the CONI regional committees (€ 25.6 mln, or 6% of the production cost). As there was no other business, the meeting came to an end at 17.21.

High level seminar “Combat corruption in sports toward a solid public-private alliance"

• CONI

On 19 April 2018, a high level seminar will be held at the Police Force Specialisation School (Piazza di Priscilla 6, Conference Room) in Rome on the issue of corruption in sports. The initiative is the result of collaboration between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Cooperation (MAECI), Presidency of the Council – Office for Sport, CONI and ANAC.

The event aimed at promoting practices of prevention and repression of corruption in the sports sector is consequent to the approval of the UNCAC Resolution 7/8 “Corruption in Sport”, adopted as an Italian proposal.

Activities are subdivided into three round tables. The first is dedicated to the international scenario on the issue with the participation of UNODC, OCSE, Council of Europe, UNESCO, CIO, European Commission, European Parliament and Transparency International. The second will look at the Italian scenario with the contribution of the national Authorities in charge of combating corruption in the sports environment. A third focus is reserved for integrity standards in the world of Italian sports. 

National Council Statement

• CONI

The 258th National Council of CONI met this afternoon at 16.30 in the Salone d’Onore of Foro Italico.

The following Agenda was discussed:

1) Approval of the minutes of the meeting of 12 March 2017: unanimously approved.

2) Statement by the President: Mr Malagò started the meeting by remembering the people in the sporting world who had passed away in the last month and highlighted the significant results achieved by Italian athletes in the same period. The President then discussed the subject of the 2026 Winter Games, reconstructing the dynamics that led CONI - in the last few weeks - to submit the applications of Milan/Turin/Cortina for the dialogue phase with the CIO.

Malagò reminded those present that every conversation is premature considering the fact that a Government has not been formed. Then the principal changes were presented connected to the fundamental principles of the Federal Articles of Association brought up for discussion and those anticipated by the integration of the Codice di Giustizia Sportiva (Sports Justice Code). The subject relative to the growing request for recognition by various disciplines was also discussed, hoping for international regulation of the overall picture.

Then the developments of “Sports and Suburbs” was discussed, and the now imminent Mediterranean Games scheduled for Tarragona at the end June. Focus was then shifted to Tokyo 2020, for the logistics discussions connected to the last phase of the preparation of the team and the selections relative to Casa Italia. The date of 3 June was then made official for the celebrations of the annual National Day of Sports, which will be combined with the subject of the environment. 

Regarding the report and the other subjects of a general nature, following the summary of Massimo Proto and Francesco Soro on the technical aspects of the regulatory changes, the following spoke: Giorgio Scarso (Fencing), Michele Maffei (Representative Meritorious Sports Associations), Andrea Mancino (Sports Promotion Associations), Claudio Matteoli (Sport Fishing and Underwater Activities), Vincenzo Iaconianni (Speed Boat Racing), Sabatino Aracu (Roller Sports), Michele Barbone (Sport Dance), Alfio Giomi (Athletics), Luciano Buonfiglio (Canoe), Ugo Salines (Sports Promotion Associations), Raffaella Masciadri (Athletes Commission), Orazio Arancio (Commission of Technicians).

3) F.S.N .- D.S.A. - E.P.S. activities: The following resolutions were unanimously approved: 1) New fundamental principles of the articles of association of the FSN and DSA 2) Approval of the changes to the Sports Justice Code, pursuant to Article 6, paragraph 4, letter B of the CONI Articles of Association 3) Change to Article 11 of the Organization and Operating Regulation of the Sports Power of Attorney, pursuant to Art. 12 ter of the CONI Articles of Association. As there was no other business, the meeting came to an end at 18.35.

Press Release - 2026 Olympic Winter Games

• CONI

The Italian National Olympic Committee has informed the International Olympic Committee of its desire to proceed with the Dialogue Phase for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, which had already been initiated over the previous months following the invitation received from the IOC on 29 September 2017.

Due to the need to comply with the formal due date specified by the IOC and following numerous meetings and communications with the heads of the International Olympic Committee, CONI expressed this intention in a letter, declaring the candidatures of the City of Milan/Turin.

This letter also explicitly stated that CONI is awaiting the formation of the new government to which, adhering to the times and methods agreed, it shall present a feasibility study, already completed at the beginning of 2018, for a comprehensive evaluation of the entire project, which could benefit the whole of Italy, even in the light of the cost reductions in the 2020 Agenda.

CONI notes that the dialogue phase involves collaboration between CONI, the City and the IOC in order to identify the best solution for the needs of the country, therefore considering the possibility, as part of a joint project, of expanding potential solutions for the different Olympic competitions to other areas.

Following the dialogue phase, in view of its technical expertise and in compliance with the Olympic Charter, it will be the IOC alone to make the decision regarding which City will be invited to be the official candidate for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

For additional comments, CONI would like to draw attention to the IOC communications scheduled for Tuesday 3 April.

The Italian National Olympic Committee, after publishing the press release in which it announced the intention to continue in the phase of dialogue for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games with the City of Milan/Turin, received a letter this afternoon from the Mayor of Cortina and a letter from the President of the Veneto Region in which they express their interest in entering the phase of dialogue for the same candidacy process with the city of Cortina.
CONI forwarded the two letters properly to the CIO General Director in the common interest of identifying the best scenario for the Italian territory.

The Italian Flag has returned to the Quirinale. Mattarella: you have represented the Country with prestige

• PYEONGCHANG 2018

The day was opened with a greeting from CONI president Giovanni Malagò. "I am very pleased with the results of the entire Italian team. In this unique and symbolically important moment celebrating the Italians’ return from our adventure in Korea for the Winter Olympics, I would like to present the new Secretary General of CONI, Carlo Mornati: for the first time ever an Olympic athlete has been appointed Secretary, an important message that I want to spread to all Italian athletes. Not only did we meet our goal of winning metals in double digits, which is an important statistic, but I overlooked an important aspect: the President of CONI and those who work for the Olympic Committee should not only be assessed for the number of medals won but for a team's overall figure, image, behaviour and style. These are all factors that characterise our experience in those 17 days before, during and after the Olympic Winter Games. President, each component of the Italian team held their head high. Sometimes situations affect a victory on the field: perhaps the wrong declarations, behaviours criticised by juries, every so often with reason, with doping constantly threatening the sports world. We made a good impression from every point of view; we are proud of this flag we wear on our hearts. We were exemplary both in sports events and outside the sporting world, also at an international level and in relations with the IOC, always seeking to honour the message which you, Mr President, have made us a part of before the games thanks to Casa Italia: a symbolic place to exalt our brand and group many initiatives together, also within the scope of the formidable diplomacy that has characterised the Olympic Games in Korea. We are honoured to be here with our flag-bearer, who was incredible and won a gold medal 24 years after another flag-bearer such as Deborah Compagnoni, but it was a women's Olympics for us thanks to the golds won by Sofia Goggia and Michela Moioli. We are proud of you. We are proud to be Italian, we are proud to be here".

The President of the Italian Paralympic Committee, Luca Pancalli: "What our athletes did is extraordinary, not only for the results achieved, but also because we hadn't won any medals in Sochi. It symbolises the triumph of sports as a tool for rehabilitating civil society. We started from a debacle, and I’m not only considering those who won medals, but also those who almost won them. I would like to thank Malagò and the authorities, both governmental and military and especially the President of the Republic, who have never ceased to support us, because even in this delicate moment for our country they have once again found time to welcome us after the Olympics and Paralympics. We have the presumption and pride of representing a small part of the country's welfare, and it is an honour to participate in such an event".

The Minister for Sport, Luca Lotti: "Thank you and thanks to the government and all the Italians, who like me woke up in the middle of the night to watch your Olympic events. Thanks to the athletes, the presidents, the sporting groups and all those who work behind the scenes with strength. The work of so many people supports your victories. I was fortunate enough to participate in the opening ceremonies: it may have been quite cold but it was an evening full of excitement for you. That evening we saw the message that sports knows how to convey. Behind the handshake between the two Koreas is a universal message of how sports unite. During the flag ceremony I told the story of Colò, the only Italian to have won a medal in downhill skiing: this is no longer so. Before leaving, I asked you to look to the athletes of the past and you followed my word to the letter: as an Italian, the best way to say thanks is to highlight how you have now become those champions of the past, setting an example for youth of how to make sacrifices and reach success. Perhaps some of that youth will become our future champions. I am also very pleased by the women's team. Your victories are the best way to show Italians that targets can be reached when you never give up".

The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella: "Congratulations to you for having participated in an exciting experience, and not just in terms of sports. The Olympics are a time of gathering, of human coexistence, an opportunity for peace, and this was confirmed in PyeongChang. You were greatly followed in Italy, even if the time difference did not always let us watch you live. I managed to see Fontana's 500 metre race live, and it was truly exciting. I considered how much those few moments express the laborious preparation that goes into them. Sometimes those who watch don’t fully grasp the amount of sacrifice, commitment, preparation and concentration that is needed. I saw Sofia Goggia's downhill race. I spoke with her on the phone and she told me that before coming to the Quirinale she had another commitment, yet she won just like Michela Moioli. Congratulations also to her for an extraordinary race, whose rhythms suggested how much control is necessary in each movement: a truly amazing spectacle. Fontana had a crescendo, winning a bronze, silver and a gold. I also saw the 3000 metre race; it wasn’t always easy to understand what was happening, but was nonetheless fascinating. All the hard work of women: I do not want to offend the men, but it is a wonderful fact that encourages the girls of our country to work even harder. Bertagnolli and Casal's medals were an extraordinary sight. We all cheered for you, those who represent ideal behaviour, the paradigm of life. Your performance is based on mutual trust and is a reminder to all. Congratulations to everyone, you won a significant number of medals which demonstrate the level of Italian sports; but the most beautiful spectacle was seen in the commitment and passion of all the athletes who participated in the games. CONI and CIP exist to ensure team value and are the heritage of our country. The Olympics are a reminder of commitment to all our youth: I hope that this reminder is effective and helps to ever-improve our country. The Italian flag with your signatures is a beautiful memory and the sign that you represented our country with great prestige. Thank you again, welcome back and congratulations".

The following athletes participated in the event: Arianna Fontana, Cecilia Maffei, Lucia Peretti and Martina Valcepina (Short Track), Federica Brignone and Sofia Goggia (Alpine Skiing), Lukas Hofer, Dominik Windisch, Lisa Vittozzi and Dorothea Wierer (Biathlon), Michela Moioli (Snowboard), Federico Pellegrino (Cross-Country Skiing), Nicola Tumolero (Speed Skating), and the Paralympic medalists Giacomo Bertagnolli and Fabrizio Casal (Alpine S).

Meeting between Malagò and IOC President Bach in Lausanne

• CONI

Today CONI President Giovanni Malagò met IOC President Thomas Bach in Lausanne. The meeting was attended by Italian IOC members Franco Carraro and Mario Pescante and the IOC General Director Christophe de Kepper.

The topics discussed during the summit, which lasted about two hours, included an update on the IOC Session planned in Milan in 2019, the forthcoming international events scheduled to be held in Italy and those that could potentially be held in the country, as well as the various issues relating to the application process for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

The IOC was made aware of the various requests CONI has received for the Winter Olympics in recent months, as well as a general assessment of a political nature in relation to the composition of the country's future government.

CONI and the IOC will continue to monitor the various changes in the scope of their respective responsibilities and will update each other in a forthcoming meeting.

"I am satisfied with the results of the meeting”, said Malagò, The IOC appreciated the current increased interest in Italy relating to sports and the Olympic Games. In principle there is no preclusion toward anyone, but we must proceed with caution because all future discussions cannot overlook the new Government".

National Council Statement

• CONI

The 257th National Council of CONI met this afternoon at 15.00 in the Salone d’Onore of Foro Italico.

The National Council discussed the following Agenda:

1) Approval of the minutes of the meeting of 19 December 2017: unanimously approved.

2) Statement by the President: Malagò opened discussions by remembering the athletes that have passed away over the last 3 months, while also stressing the important results achieved by the Italians in the same period, especially highlighting those obtained by the team sent to the Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang and citing the figures and statistics demonstrating their impressive performance. The appointment of Carlo Mornati as the new CONI Secretary General was officially approved, with the simultaneous investiture of Roberto Fabbricini as President of CONI Servizi, with powers over the territory and the staff.

The President underlined the presence of three Commissioners on the Board: Francesco Soro (UITS), Roberto Fabbricini (FIGC) and Pierluigi Matera (AeroClub), specifying that the new Executive will be asked to link the various vigilant Ministries under the aegis of a single entity.

It was then demonstrated that the final drafting of the fundamental principles of the Federations’ and DSA's statues is near completion: a crucial crossroads for the motives behind the consolidation. In the next meeting of the National Council of 10 April the conclusive findings will be presented, as well as the tasks linked to the principles of sports justice. In relation to a letter from Assofederazioni regarding the relationships between the Federations and certain Sports Promotion Bodies, Malagò also announced that the topic will be addressed in the coming weeks to assess the issues that affect these relationships.

In regard to the fiduciary nature of regional roles related to sports facilities, also after a recent episode Sicily, it was specified that different criteria will be established for the choice of CONI delegates in this context, through the consultation of a register of professionals.

A pleasant surprise was announced in relation to Sport and Peripheries, with an additional allocation of resources from the government. The meeting closed with congratulations to those elected to represent the sporting world in the two Cameras with National Council members Paolo Barelli and Claudio Barbaro, the technician Felice Mariani, Roberto Pella, Cosimo Sibilia, Marco Marin, Lara Magoni and Giusy Versace. Congratulations also to Diego Nepi for Italy's extraordinary success in PyeongChang. Finally, it was announced that on 27 March the ceremony will be held for the return of the Italian flag to the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella.

The following intervened in relation to the report and other matters: Roberto Fabbricini, Franco Carraro (CIO member), Carlo Mornati, Giovanni Petrucci (Basketball), Claudio Matteoli (Sport Fishing and Diving), Bruno Cattaneo (Volleyball), Luciano Buonfiglio (Canoe and Kayak), Ugo Salines (Sports Promotion Bodies), Vincenzo Manco (Sports Promotion Bodies), Gherardo Tecchi (Gymnastics), Claudio Barbaro (Sports Promotion Bodies), Bruno Molea (Sports Promotion Bodies), Raffaella Masciadri (Athletes Commission), Mario Pescante (CIO member), Eugenio Giani (Provincial Delegates Representative), Andrea Mancino (Sports Promotion Bodies), Angelo Binaghi (Tennis).

3) F.S.N .- D.S.A. - E.P.S. activities : The following resolution was unanimously approved: 1) ratification of the CONI National Council resolution number 52 for the appointment of the Extraordinary Commissioner and Deputy Commissioners of the Italian Football Federation.

As there was no other business, the meeting came to an end at 17.35.