Federica Pellegrini standard bearer for Italy at Rio 2016

Federica Pellegrini will be the standard bearer for Italy at Rio 2016. The nomination of the swimming champion was formally announced by CONI President, Giovanni Malagò, to the Board members gathered today at Foro Italico. Pellegrini, Olympic gold in the 200m freestyle swimming race at Beijing 2008, has thus become the fifth female standard bearer at the Summer Games - the first was gymnast Miranda Cicognani at Helsinki 1952 - a historical moment also for swimming at large, which is now one of the disciplines honoured by the nomination of one of their athletes as standard bearer.

 As the current world and European record holder for the 200 metres race, thanks to the silver won at the Kazan 2015 World championship, she has become the first female swimmer of all times to get onto the world championship podium six times in a row. Indeed, for more than ten years, since her second place in Montreal 2005, she has always been amongst the three queens in this speciality (two golds, three silvers and one bronze), winning also another two world golds in the 400 metres freestyle swimming.

Pellegrini will raise the Italian flag at Maracana the next 5 August, a date written in the stars: on the same date she will indeed be celebrating her 28th birthday, representing Italy in the most important sport event and crowning a perfect career, which she lives - as she has always done - in the name of skill, sacrifice and passion.

Italian standard bearers in the history of the Summer Olympic Games

Federica Pellegrini's datasheet

Flame lit at Olympia, the journey to Rio begins

The fire, the myth, the solemnity of a historic moment. Renewed in the name of the legend of the 5 Olympic rings. A little more than 100 days from the start of the XXXI edition of the Summer Games - the Olympic flame was today lit in Olympia, continuing a tradition which began in Ancient Greece. The flame - which symbolises peace, unity and friendship, was lit as planned by the sun's rays, in front of thousands of visitors, scholars and media representatives from around the world (photo olympic.org).

The official ceremony was held in the presence of IOC President, Thomas Bach, the President of Greece, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, and representatives of the Greek Government and a Brazilian delegation led by the President of the Rio 2016 Organising Committee, Carlos Nuzman. The first torchbearer will be Greece's Lefteris Petrounias, world gymnastics champion, who will then pass the torch over to former Brazilian volleyball player Giovane Gavio, a double Olympic champion.

The torch will leave Athens at the end of the month and arrive in Brazil on 3rd May and will pass through more than 329 cities - covering over 20,000 kilometres courtesy of 12,000 torchbearers - before arriving in Rio de Janeiro on 4th August, the eve of the opening ceremony, due to take place at the Maracana Stadium.

“Together we can change the world”, IOC launches global promotional campaign

Francesco Ricci Bitti confirmed President of ASOIF. Congratulations from Malagò

This afternoon in Lausanne, Francesco Ricci Bitti was confirmed as President of ASOIF, the association that unites the Summer Olympic International Sports Federations. The 74-year-old executive from Bologna, who was a member of the IOC from 2006 to 2012, was unanimously voted by the presidents of the world's federations. This represents Ricci Bitti's second term as ASOIF President having been elected for the first time in 2012. His appointment will run until 2020.

Among the first to congratulate Ricci Bitti was the President of CONI, Giovanni Malagò, and the President of the Organising Committee for Rome 2024, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, both of whom attended the meeting. "The re-election of Ricci Bitti is an important confirmation of the status that Italian executives have earned on an international level and certainly bodes well for Rome's bid ", stated Malagò.

"Save the Dream", new collaboration with Stefano Borgonovo Foundation

Stefano Borgonovo Foundation has partnered with Save the Dream to strengthen the message of sport as a vehicle of growth, education and values among new generations. Stefano Borgonovo has always pursued the objective of conveying to young players the positive values of sport, by promoting inclusion, integration and cultural exchange.

The collaboration between the Foundation and Save the Dream was launched today in Rome as part of the press conference related to the third edition of the 'Save the Dream Week', initiative of ICSS (International Centre for Sport Security) to raise funds for the volunteer international program "CSI for the world". Chantal Borgonovo was there and said: "Stefano started to play football on parish fields. I'm honored to be here to introduce the collaboration between Save the Dream and Stefano Borgonovo Foundation aimed at raising funds on research against ALS and promoting sport activities among young people with the best educational values".

Today is the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace

Today is the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) – a celebration of the power of sport to drive social change, unite people and promote a culture of peace. The International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) is an annual celebration. Creating a historical link to the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, 6 April was declared the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 2013, and has been celebrated each year since 2014. The IOC, in its capacity of Permanent Observer to the UN, has been supportive of this initiative, as it values its potential to recognise sports organisations’ role in and contribution to social change and human development. Every day, everywhere around the world, organisations and individuals are using sport as a tool to improve education and health, to promote social inclusion and gender equality, and to foster reconciliation. Fight for Peace is one of them.

Press Release of the National Board

This morning, for the first time in its history in Palermo, meeting no.1044 of the CONI National Board took place, and it started with the approval of the minutes of the previous meeting of 26 February. In his communication, President Malagò congratulated the winter sports athletes that distinguished themselves significantly in this last period, which saw the gaining of four world cups that had never been won before (Federico Pellegrino, Peter Fill, Dorothea Wierer and Michela Moioli). He also congratulated Gianmarco Tamberi for his gold medal at the indoor athletics world championship and the other athletes that obtained the Olympic qualification for Rio 2016, raising the current number of participating athletes to 157 units. At the beginning of the proceedings, there were interventions by the Mayor of Palermo, Leoluca Orlando, who hosted the Board in the prestigious location of Villa Niscemi, and by the Sports Councillor for Sicily, Anthony Barbagallo.

The Board then got an update on the Rome 2024 candidature. The 2016 CONI Trophy was assigned to Sardinia, with the prior verification by the management of the financial assurances received. The Board then discussed the latest events in relation to the participation of Italian basketball teams to international competitions. After a broad discussion, the Board decided to invite "FIP (the Italian Basketball Federation) to verify urgently if the basketball premier league operations are in conflict with the principles of national and international sport legislation and, if so, to adopt all measures necessary (also with respect to the premier league) to reinstate compliance with the principles necessary to guarantee the regular commencement and continuation of high level sport competitions, both national and international. The 2016 service contract between CONI and CONI servizi was then approved.

The next National Council meeting was postponed to 4th May, starting at 11 am, while the Board meeting has been confirmed for 27 April at 10 am with the nomination of the standard-bearer for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. After having examined a long series of other organisational and administrative issues, and having formulated the necessary resolutions, the Board ended the meeting at 13:05.

National Council press release

CONI's National Council No. 243 met this afternoon, at 3:00 pm, at the Foro Italico, to discuss the following agenda:

1) Approval of the minutes of the 17 December 2015 meeting: the minutes were approved unanimously.

2) News from the President: Malagò opened the proceedings by commemorating the members of the sporting world that were deceased over the last two months and, at the same time, the important results obtained by Italian athletes over the same period.  It was also highlighted that this year the unforgotten Ondina Valla will be celebrated as the first Italian female athlete to win a golden medal at the Games, 80 years from her victory in Berlin 1936 and 10 years from her departure.

The Italian national team delegation, lead by Anna Riccardi, was then complimented for the positive outcome of the YOGs at Lillehammer, acknowledging also the contribution of board member Giampiero Pastore; the importance of the presentation revealing the projects developed by CONI's different organisational units ahead of Rio 2016 was also reiterated, with particular emphasis placed on the choice of Casa Italia. Some advance planning was made by setting the launch for the 3rd August, strategic date on the margin of important appointments, to ensure the presence of IOC members before the opening ceremony.  The second event mentioned by the Present was the presentation of the Rome 2024 dossier, at Palazzo dei Congressi, the iconic location for the 1960 Games. Malagò called it a great success and thanked the Board for the unity demonstrated by all members in pushing the candidature in this initial phase. It was also explained that winning the candidature for the Games could help the Federations that have difficulty in qualifying their teams to building, over seven years, competitive teams ahead of the games.

The Prime Minister Matteo Renzi will be present on 5 August in Rio for the Launch of the XXXI edition of the five-circle event, while the President of the Republic, Mattarella, has been invited to the Ceremony of the Paralympics.

Malagò, in talking about CONI's relationship with the Government, recalled the project "Sport and Suburbs" (Sport e Periferie). Out of the 1,672 requests that were submitted, 75% are for facilities already in existence, 25% for new facilities. It was emphasised that two basic criteria have been set: priority for what is already in existence and state interventions for state-owned facilities.

General themes were then discussed, reminding attendees that compulsory use of defibrillators has been postponed to 30 June, and also providing updates on issues regarding the Job Acts and the Italian National Institute for Statistics (ISTAT).  Furthermore, 9 March will see the presentation, together with Minister Poletti, of a plan for the employment of athletes at the end of their competitive career. A key convention also from the point of view of the policy espoused by IOC, which states the centrality of athletes.  CONI also scheduled a set of regulations to cover mother-athletes and athletes in maternity leave ahead of Rio 2016. Malagò, proud of the 2.7% increase in sport participation in 2014 and 2015, on the basis of the study carried out by the Italian National Institute for Statistics (ISTAT), expressed his wish for a resolution of all litigations between Federations, Sporting Disciplines and Promotion Agencies.

The message of the President saw contributions from: Marco Durante (Athletes Representative), Angelo Binaghi (Tennis), Giovanni Petrucci (Basketball), Vincenzo Manco (Agencies for the Promotion of Sport), Franco Carraro (IOC member), Riccardo Agabio (Gymnastics), Gianni Medugno (Associated Sporting Disciplines), Luciano Rossi (Skeet shooting), Vittorio Orlandi (Equestrianism), Maurizio Casasco, Romolo Rizzoli (Bowls), Ugo Claudio Matteoli (Competitive Fishing and Underwater Activities), Sandro Rossi (Associated Sporting Disciplines representative), Francesco Purromuto (Handball), Ugo Salines (Agencies for the Promotion of Sport representative), Diana Bianchedi (General Coordinator for Rome 2024).

3) F.S.N.-D.S.A.-E.P.S Activity: Unanimous approval was reached regarding: the Regulation of Meritorious Associations and the ratification of the appointment of Antonello De Tullio as Extraordinary Administrator of the Italian Bowling Sport Federation, with Alvio La Face as Deputy Administrator. The Board expressed its complete agreement also in relation to the formal procedures that the Rome 2024 candidature process is following. With no other matters arising, the proceedings were closed at 5:05 pm.

Press Release of the National Board

This morning at the Foro Italico, meeting no. 1043 of CONI's National Board took place, and it started by approving the minutes of the previous meeting of 26 January. In his communications, President Malagò complimented the Italian team for its good performance at the YOGs of Lillehammer, gaining nine medals, an improvement compared to the previous edition of Innsbruck 2012.  The Board approved the reform plan for Meritorious Associations, for a more effective streamlining of facilities, instrumental also in making funds available for projects. The topic "Sport and Suburbs" was then discussed, which saw the appointment of Danilo Del Gaizo, Vincenzo Nunziata and Carlo Deodato to the dedicated committee. Malagò explained that 1,672 project requests were received, 45% coming from the eight regions of Southern Italy. 50% of projects are below 500,000 Euros and 57% concern multi-purpose facilities.

Furthermore, 75% refer to facilities that need to be refurbished or completed, while 25% refer to facilities that have not yet been built, a confirmation that a wealth of facilities is already in existence, but that these need to be improved or maintained. An agreement with the Ministry of Work was then illustrated to the Board, with the purpose of finding employment for athletes at the end of their competitive career. The contents will be presented during a press conference on Wednesday 9 March at 12:30 pm in the Aula Magna of the Acqua Acetosa sport centre, which will be attended by President Malagò and Minister Poletti.   The board was then updated on the candidature dossier for Rome 2024.  The 2016 CONI trophy was then approved. The new meeting of the Board will take place in the prestigious Villa Niscemi branch in Palermo on 22 March, while at the following meeting of 27 April, the standard-bearer for Italy at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will be officially appointed.  Malagò also asked Pancalli to announce publicly the name of the standard-bearer for the Paralympics by the same date. After having examined a long series of other organisational and administrative issues, and having formulated the necessary resolutions, the Board ended the meeting at 11:40 am.

Malagò presents the candidature project at Bocconi University: Sport in Italy is the best investment

"Sport in Italy is the best investment; it is a peak of excellence". CONI president Giovanni Malagò, in occasion of the convention "Rome 2024, planning for sustainability and legacies", which took place at "Luigi Bocconi" Commercial University in Milan, reiterated the importance of the Capital's candidature to host the Olympic Games in 2024, also from the economic point of view, in terms of legacy for the country.

A strong candidature presented today at the event promoted by Bocconi Sport Campus, and enriched by the prestige that is associated with the Italian Olympic Committee abroad. "A recent research ascertained that CONI is the most prestigious Olympic committee in the world - highlighted the President talking to the attendees at the University's Aula Magna -. This is thanks to its history and of the medals gained by our athletes. The uniqueness of Italy is that we do not have a Ministry of Sport: in our country, CONI is the institution that represents sport and this is a responsibility because it is our duty to promote the movement and its values. My colleagues see us as a model both from a management perspective and because of the enormous number of athletes, 11 million, and of clubs that affiliate to the various federations".

The presentation of the candidature project saw the intervention, amongst others, of the head of relationships with athletes on behalf of the Committee for the Promotion of Rome 2024, Fiona May, swimming champion Massimiliano Rosolino and race walking champion Eleonora Giorgi.

Malagò, on the margin of the convention, then made some clarifications regarding the venue, which, were the Olympic Games to be assigned to Rome, could host the final of the final game for the Olympic football tournament. "If Roma's new stadium is going to be built, it could host the final, otherwise we would opt for other solutions - he explained -. All dossiers, both our one and the one of our competitors, plan for something that has not been built. We have been clear, honest and transparent regarding Roma's stadium: were it to be complete, Rome could host the final of the Olympic football tournament, given the fact that at that time there will also be the Ceremony for the closing of the Olympics. One can easily do everything at the Olympic Stadium, which has been done at different Olympic competitions - he added -, but if it were not complete, at that point we will evaluate the location of the final, which could take place in Rome or in Milan or Naples, which currently are the two designated cities for hosting the semi-finals, but it is a decision that has yet to be made".