The web series "Così Vicino-Team Young Italy UnipolSai" now on-line

From Wednesday 18 November, the video web series “Così Vicino (So Close)- Team Young Italy UnipolSai” will be on-line; this is the first web series dedicated to seven Italian sport champions who constitute the Team Young Italy UnipolSai; it is entirely produced and signed by UnipolSai and is part of BLU (Broadcast Lab Unipol).  Federica Pellegrini, Vincenzo Abbagnale, Eseosa Desalu, Carlotta Ferlito, Andrea Fondelli, Gregorio Paltrinieri and Alessia Trost will tell their story and be portrayed by others in a completely new way, through 35 episodes, viewed exclusively on the Youtube Unipol Group Corporate Channel.

The web series is preceded by an engaging trailer-promo, posted from today also on the Unipol Group channel. Starting from 18 November, with fortnightly appointments (with the exclusion of the Christmas break) until  the end of January, each episode of “Cosi Vicino - Team Young Italy UnipolSai” will be devoted to a theme around which the sporting and personal story of these young champions will unfold.

A real storytelling trail narrated through their direct account and the contributions of trainers, parents and other close friends, in some cases filmed for the first time. The sport sphere will be combined in an entirely natural way with the more intimate emotional sphere, touching upon "private" topics such as study, faith, love, family, friendship, dedication. In this way, important reflections on the meaning of being a champion, of being the son or daughter of champions, of staying close to home and then leaving, of being judged without judging, of the importance of knowing oneself and enjoying the company of others, and further reflections on what one feels when losing an important person, and, finally on the emotion of the first competition and first victory.

A great and thrilling story, on one hand the story of a shared experience, but on the other also profoundly personal, moving through brief and intense narratives, all connected through the theme of closeness - Così Vicino (So Close), organised in five themes: So close to you, So close to home, So close to the finishing line, So close to the heart, So close to the dream. "The web series dedicated to the Team Young Italy UnipolSai represents a journey that, through the life stories, the dedication and the challenges of these seven young people, amongst which the important path towards the next Olympic Games in Rio, wants to explore the deep meaning of closeness - states Alberto Federici, Director of Corporate Communications and Media Relations of the Unipol Group. A closeness to young people and to sport for which we are engaged every day with national projects, amongst which the main sponsorship of UnipolSai with CONI".

The Team Young Italy UnipolSai and the web series dedicated to them see the collaboration of DAO Management for all interaction and management aspects with the seven athletes involved in the project.  With this project, UnipolSai Assicurazioni strengthens its ties with sport and the special attention it has always given to the future generations, acknowledging to this sphere an educational potential of primary importance for the education of the individual and its personal and social growth.  Because for the Unipol Group, to think about the future of people means also to think about what they love: sport.

Malagò phones Masseglia: "Coni is close to France". A minute of silence arranged at all sporting events

In the light of the extremely serious events that occurred yesterday evening in Paris, this morning, the President of CONI, Giovanni Malagò, phoned the President of the French Olympics Committee, Dennis Masseglia, to express the closeness and solidarity of the entire Italian sporting worlds both to France and to its Olympic institutions in this intense moment of grief. During the phone call, Malagò and Masseglia agreed that sport is the only way to unite nations and overcome divisiveness. Malagò and Masseglia agreed to have a meeting on Thursday 19 November in Prague, as part of the Council of European Olympic Committees.

At the end of the phone call, President Malagò announced his invitation to all National Sport Federations, the Associated Sport Disciplines and the Organisations for the Promotion of Sport to observe a minute of silence at all sporting events that will take place in Italy during the weekend to commemorate the victims of the Paris attacks.

Rome 2024, Montezemolo: solidarity to the France, Paris and the families of the victims

Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, the President of Rome's bid for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, today expressed his deepest condolences and sympathy for the people of France and Paris following yesterday's tragic events.

"This was a terrible, despicable and cowardly act of terrorism that hit Paris and the heart of humanity," said Sig Montezemolo. 

"On behalf of the Rome Olympic bid we wish to send a message of solidarity to the nation, the city and the families of the victims and to re-emphasise our deep closeness to our colleagues at the Paris bid committee. Our thoughts are with them at this terrible time".

Alessandra Sensini: the first Italian woman in the ISAF Hall of Fame

For the first time, Italian sailing joins the Hall of Fame of the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), with Alessandra Sensini and Valentin Mankin.  This is what emerged during the yearly ISAF meetings, currently taking place in Sanya, China. The ISAF Hall of Fame was instituted in 2007 to celebrate the Federation's centenary.

To the first six athletes nominated eight years ago (Olin Stephens - USA, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston and Dame Ellen Macarthur - GBR, Paul Elvström - DEN, Barbara Kendall – NZL ed Eric Tabarly – FRA), ISAF decided to add another seven wind champions and amongst these are Alessandra Sensini, sailor-woman with the most Olympic awards, with four medals (one gold, one silver and two bronze), currently member of the Board of CONI, as well as Coach for the youth of the Italian Sailing Federation (FIV) and vice Coach of the Olympic Team. Together with the Italian Olympic champion, there will be the great Valentin Mankin, Ukrainian by birth and Italian by adoption, three golds and one silver medal at the Olympic Games, as well as an extraordinary career as a coach and being an inimitable reference point for entire generations of Italian sailors, up to his death, in June 2014.

The other five outstanding sailing champions are Dennis Conner, Harold Vanderbilt and Buddy Melges from the United States, Sir Peter Blake from New Zealand and Torben Grael from Brazil. "I want to thank all people in attendance, because for me it is an honour to be here today. A few years ago I received the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award and it was incredible, and now joining the Hall of Fame is something totally unexpected", declared Alessandra Sensini during the introduction ceremony. "I would like to thank in particular ISAF President Carlo Croce, because, as soon as I ended my competitive training, he allowed me to support and promote the youth training, which I care a lot for, thanks to an important role I was given within the Italian Sailing Federation. I hope, in this regard, to be a source of inspiration for the new generations and to manage to transmit to the youth all my knowledge of sailing".

Two times Olympic fencing champion Diana Bianchedi appointed new General Coordinator of Olympic bid

Rome's bid to bring the Olympic and Paralympic Games to Rome in 2024 entered a new phase today with the appointment of two times Olympic gold medallist Diana Bianchedi as general coordinator. Bianchedi, 46, enjoyed a long and distinguished career in international fencing culminating with 16 medals including two Olympic gold medals in the team foil at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona and the Sydney Games in 2000 and five world titles and two European titles.

She has held a series of prestigious functions for the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) including Deputy Vice-Chairman, Chairman of the Athletes Commission, executive member of the Anti-Doping Scientific Committee and is currently President of the Merit Commission. Bianchedi, who has a degree in sports medicine, takes over as co-ordinator of the Olympic bid team from Claudia Bugno who is leaving to take up a new, important challenge. "I wish to thank Claudia for her hard work”, said Rome 2024 bid President Luca Cordero di Montezemolo. “Her experience has been important in laying the groundwork of the Olympic bid and to generate a solid and sustainable plan.

“Diana Bianchedi will now take us into an exciting new phase for the bid. As well as being an undisputed champion, Diana is an experienced and capable manager. Her proven knowledge of the world of sport will be an important added value to Rome 2024, a project that focuses on the athletes". CONI President Giovanni Malagò added: "I want to wish Claudia all the best in her new managerial challenge and express my sincere gratitude for her great efforts. “I am excited and at the same time eager that Diana will play an important role in this challenge because it is important to have the presence of a person with her sports management background. Her career in CONI, combined with her sporting history, makes her a perfect leader for this project”.

National Board Press Release, funding to the Federations for 2016 now finalised

At 5:55 pm, on 9 November, at the end of the National Council, the Board meeting was resumed, after having been suspended at 1:10 pm on the same date because decisions needed to be taken by the National Council on the 2016 budget.

After a few resolutions that were administrative in nature, the Board confirmed for 2016 the same funding as 2015 for the National Sport Federations, both for sport activities, and for covering costs relating to Human Resources and to spaces such as offices and sport facilities . The resolution was approved with a majority vote, with the abstention of Abete. The Board closed its meeting at 6:15 pm.

National Council press release

The CONI's National Council No. 241 met this afternoon, at 4 pm, at the Foro Italicco, to discuss the following agenda:

1) Approval of the minutes of the 2 July 2015 meeting: the minutes were approved unanimously.

2) Report from the President: Malagò started by highlighting the important results achieved by Italian athletes in the last four months, mentioning at the same time the lead figures connected to the sport world who were deceased over the same period. The President then spent some time discussing the relationship with the Government, which has indirectly confirmed, once again, the critical role played by sport, rewarding its integrity, by confirming the funding for 2016.  The importance of the recognised specificity of the competitive sport arena was also stressed, a specificity that lies behind the lack of inclusion of Federations in the National Statistics Institute (ISTAT), through the "milleproroghe" Decree.

Malagò then highlighted that the Government was made very aware about the issue of defibrillators, concerning its penal and implementation aspects.  The ANOC 20th General Assembly was then discussed: CONI's top management and the Committee for the Promotion of Rome 2024 were in attendance, promoting the image of Italian sport, as in Washington 106 Countries and 54 IOC members were present.

The President then went on to thank the team of qualified professionals that worked on the reform of the Sports Justice Code: 13 amendment requests were included, which indirectly confirms the soundness of the Code's foundations. Malagò then praised the Procurator General, Enrico Cataldi, for his extensive work: 2833 provisions implemented since the day he started his position. It was announced that two associated Disciplines, bowling and twirling, will be placed under administration, and, with regards to organisations for the promotion of sport, news relating to the register for the recognition of sport clubs was announced: registration changes from self-certification to a digital census procedure, supervised by a pool of experts under the leadership of the Secretary Roberto Fabbricini, whose role it is to verify the correctness of enrolment.  In relation to the recognition of new entities in the Federal and Associated Disciplines system, also in the light of the changes introduced by IOC, further studies need to be carried out to evaluate possible variations to the general framework.

Thereafter, the analysis of revenues was presented by the Marketing Department, with an increase in earnings from 3.744 million in 2013 to 12.460 million in 2016, a near quadruplication with important future implications, connected also the modification of the 2020 IOC agenda.

Malagò then stressed the importance and the success of the visit of the 26 team managers and technical federal representatives to Rio de Janeiro, in advance of the Olympic Games planned for August, a visit lead by Carlo Mornati, Vice Secretary and Head of Olympic Preparation.  After having communicated the imminent distribution to the Federations, and then to athletes, of the prizes relating to the European Games at Baku, the President made his compliments to the territorial organisation, represented also by members of the Board, Sturani and Talento, for the success reaped by the second edition of the CONI Trophy, won by Piedmont. 23 November will see the celebration of the 60 years of the Bruno Zauli Centre for Olympic Preparation at Formia, while on 15 December the Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, will participate in the ceremony to deliver the Golden Collars, which, in addition to rewarding the 2015 champions, will celebrate also all living Olympionic athletes who have not received the honour, instituted in 1995.   Again on 15 December there will be the integration of the Walk of Fame, followed by the Holy Mass for Sportsmen in the San Peter Basilica, while on 16 December a delegation of Italian athletes (Olympic, Paralympic and non-Olympic) will be received at the Quirinale by Mattarella, President of the Republic.

Comments on the report by the President were made by: Giovanni Petrucci (Basketball), Bruno Molea (Representative of the Organisations for the Promotion of Sport), Ugo Claudio Matteoli (Sport Fishing and Underwater Activities), Ernfried Obrist (Target Shooting), Renato di Rocco (Cycling), Vincenzo Manco (Representative of the Organisations for the Promotion of Sport),Luciano Rossi (Skeet Shooting), Ugo Salines (Representative of the Organisations for the Promotion of Sport), Angelo Binaghi (Tennis), Riccardo Agabio.

3) FSN-DSA-EPS activities:the following resolutions were unanimously approved: integration of the Sporting Code regulation, Distribution of extracomunitarian athletes (from 1,190 to 1,185 units), approval of the placement of the Twirling and Bowling Federations under administration, recognition of the Kickboxing Muay Thai Savate Federation as effective Associated Sport Discipline. At the same time, the guidelines for the 2016 CONI Trophy were presented.

4) Territorial Organisation:  extension until 15 December 2015 for loading the data required by the Regulation of the Organisations for the Promotion of Sport in the dedicated portal and for the new regulation of the territorial organisation. 

5) Administrative Affairs and Budget: in parallel with the 2nd restructuring of the 2015 Budget, the Council, after the approval of today's Board, approved the CONI budget for the 2016 financial year, with an economic performance resulting in an overall balance. Taxes set by the State are closely in line with 2015 (403 million, to which one must add the specific charge of 2.4 million for the organisation by the Federations of a few international sport events in Italy).  The Budget presents, compared to the previous financial year, more expense requirements: to participate in the Rio 2016 Games and for the candidature of Rome to the Olympic and Paralympic Games of 2024, which are covered mostly by the reduction in the extraordinary portion of the sum issued to the Federations (while the recurring ordinary part has been kept constant overall), together with the savings requested to Coni Services, to be applied to the value of the amount for the service contract. Other financed entities (EPS, DSA, AB, FF.AA.) have seen their allowance kept the same, overall. With no other matters arising, the proceedings were closed at 05:50 pm.

National Board Press Release

This morning at the Foro Italico, meeting no. 1040 of the CONI National Board took place, and it started by approving the minutes of the previous meeting on 13 October. In his report, President Malagò started by complimenting Valentino Rossi for the excellent world championship performance and then briefed the Board on the recent ANOC executive council meeting in Washington, where Luca di Montezemolo made his first appearance as President of the Committee for the Promotion of Rome 2024, gaining much popularity and the attention of the international sport community.

The Board then acknowledged the present qualification of 114 athletes to the Rio Games, and showed its satisfaction for the positive visit of a delegation of Team Managers to Brazil, lead by Carlo Mornati. The Board then examined the report presented by Carlo Tavecchio in relation to the latest events connected to the publication of some declarations against which the Figc President has taken legal action.  Carlo Mornati was confirmed as CONI representative for the Board of Directors of the Mutual Fund (Fondo per la Mutualità).  In the light of the outcomes arisen, the Board then decided to place the Italian Bowling Federation under the administration of Francesco Purromuto (seconded by Alvio La Face and Antonello De Tullio). The analysis of revenues presented by the Marketing Department, was then examined: it showed an increase in earnings from 3.774 million of 2013 to 12.460 million of 2016, a near quadruplication.  On the proposal by Leonardo Gallitelli, President of NADO in Italy, Daniele Masala, twice Olympic pentathlon champion, was nominated President of the Anti-Doping Control Commission.

Prof. Giulio Napolitano intervened at the Board meeting and outlined the amendments to the Sport Justice Code, which was approved with a significant majority. The deadline for loading data on the portal of the Organisations for the Promotion of Sport was pushed forward to 21 December 2015. A work group, lead by the General Secretary, Roberto Fabbricini, will then operate the necessary controls and inspections. The resolution to be presented to the National Council for the second restructuring of the 2015 CONI budget was approved, and so was the 2016 budget. The Board also approved the resolution on the subdivision of intake of extracomunitarian sportsmen, reducing the number from 1,190 to 1,185 units. After having examined a long series of other organisational and administrative issues, and having formulated the necessary resolutions, the Board suspended the meeting at 1:10 pm, adjourning the meeting to the afternoon, after the National Council, to finalise the allocation of funding to the National Sport Federation for 2016.

Visit of the coaches. Tomorrow rehearsal of Casa Italia at the Costa Brava Club

The inspection in Rio in advance of the Olympic Games has gained unanimous approval by the Coaches of the various National Sport Federations involved. It was an intense three-day visit, but very effective and productive, and provided each coach with a complete and comprehensive overview of the places where the competitions will take place, the training grounds and the various logistical arrangements within and outside the Olympic Village.

Carlo Monati, Deputy Secretary General of CONI and Head of Olympic Preparations, illustrated, together with Anna Riccardi and his staff, all the specifics of this competition away from home, with the related issues, which always exist in occasion of such great events. The Coaches really appreciated the clarity of the information and, especially, what was set up to ensure that the Italian team can be put in the best conditions to face the Olympic Games.

During these days, each Coach in attendance had the opportunity to meet the "sport manager" of his discipline at the headquarters of the Committee for the Organisation of Rio 2016 and then to visit the facility hosting the competition (some of which obviously not yet complete).

This evening, the Italian delegation will be the guest of Riccardo Battisti, the Italian Consul in Rio, while tomorrow morning, before going back to Italy, it will visit the Costa Brava Clube, the location chosen by CONI to set up its "Casa Italia".

IOC reaching young audiences with the Winter Youth Olympic Games

Marking 100 days to go, the International Olympic Committee today announced its latest social media campaign asking athletes to share their love of sport and get active with the #iLoveYOG hashtag as they gear up to the second Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway, this February. 

Kicking off this campaign is one of the biggest and most inspirational names in winter sport, South Korean Olympic figure skating champion, Yuna Kim. Also known as “Queen Yuna”, the skating legend and YOG Ambassador got behind the campaign by opening her official Instagram account using the hashtag, which has already gained over 80,000 followers. 

Following the success of #YOGselfie last summer in Nanjing at the second Summer edition of the Games, which saw 58 million people posting their “sporty selfies” on social media, the IOC aims to engage young athletes and fans in this latest campaign and ultimately get people active and involved in the YOG. 

During Games time, between 12 and 21 February 2016, printing stations will be available around Lillehammer for people to print their pictures posted on social media. Collectively, these thousands of images will create a giant mosaic - a piece of artwork that will then be donated to Lillehammer as part of the legacy of the Games. 

In line with Olympic Agenda 2020, the Youth Olympic Games aim to engage with fans and young people around the world to encourage them to get active and enjoy the benefits of sport. The IOC sees social media as key to the success of this mission, and as outlined by Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP, the world’s largest marketing communications group, the IOC is striving “to use these Games as an incubator, as an accelerator and as a way of understanding what young people want.”

Supporting these social media efforts to engage and inspire fans, the IOC has also teamed up with other winter sports stars: US Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn, Norwegian Alpine skier Kjetil Jansrud, Norwegian slopestyler Silje Norendal and Norwegian ice hockey player Mats Zucarello. Collectively, these YOG Ambassadors reach millions of young fans through their social media accounts and support the IOC and Lillehammer 2016 in their campaigns to raise the profile of the forthcoming YOG.