Pescara 2015: Flag-raising ceremony at the Village with Malagò and the President of the Masseglia French Olympic Committee

The Italian team at the Mediterranean Beach Games was hailed with the flag-raising ceremony, which took place at Palacongressi of Montesilvano, the headquarters of Villaggio Mediterraneo.  During the ceremony, CONI President spoke at length with the President of the French Olympic Committee (CNOSF) Denis Masseglia, also exchanging views on Rome and Paris standing as candidates for 2024.

"Italy is present with 104 athletes, 60 men and 44 women – said Malagò after the flag was raised - . We are moving towards gender equality, I am confident that in Rio we will be able to even out. This is to convey the idea that we are a significant, important delegation, as it should be. We are the hosts, but above all, we are present in all of the eleven disciplines. Thank you Mayor, and I want to thank also my friend Enzo Imbastaro, President of CONI Abruzzo, who has been willing to support this commitment, along with the entire delegation of the Olympic Committee. I am happy to have my friend Francesco Purromuto, President of the Italian Handball Federation by my side; he recently told me that his sports discipline has the largest number of participants. I am convinced that, once again, also considering our ambition and our hopes concerning the Olympic Games, Pescara, Abruzzo, Italy will make an impression, which is of paramount importance, especially in connection with sports fairness, in addition to organizational aspects, thank you".

Rome 2024 runs with "Rome by Night Run"

The second edition of "ROME BY NIGHT RUN", the nighttime half-marathon organized by A.S.D. Forhans Team, will take place on 28 August. The Rome 2024 Committee will attend the race with its slogan #WeWantRoma, jogging along the more than 1,500 Italian and foreign athletes.

The race course will be a single ring-shaped path of 21 km starting from Ponte della Musica, embracing two municipalities and passing through important monumental, touristic and cultural areas of the Eternal City: the Tiber river, Ponte Milvio, the Foro Italico, the Olympic Stadium, the Mosque, the Maxxi Museum, the CONI HQ, Ponte della Musica, etc.

In line with the main elements of the vision of the Rome 2024 Committee, the event is a perfect union of sport and culture that will help promote the candidacy of Rome for the Summer Olympic Games of 2024.

The Village will open at 5pm and the race will start at 10pm from Ponte della Musica.

Anti-doping Office convenes Daniel and Gottlieb Taschler, Michele and Stefano Ferrari on September 4

Anti-doping Prosecutor’s Office set the hearings of Daniel Taschler (art.2.2 of Sports Anti-Doping Rules), Gottlieb Taschler, Michele Ferrari and Stefano Ferrari (art.2.9 of Sports Anti-Doping Rules) on Friday, September 4, 2015 at 10:00 am, following the outcome of the investigations carried out by public prosecutors in Padua and Bolzano.

Mattarella calls Malagò: "Congratulations, I look forward to meeting you all at Quirinale"

The President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, called the President of CONI, Giovanni Malagò this morning to rejoice for the results obtained in the World Swimming Championships in Kazan. "Great work. I am very glad of the medals and of the beautiful impression that you have given our country. Please extend my congratulations to the athletes, technicians and managers. I'll meet you and the world champions in September at Quirinale ".

Mattarella concluded the phone call giving his best wishes to Malagò for the upcoming world championships of other Olympic sports that will be held in the next month, including Canoeing (in Milan) and Target Shooting (in Lonato), in addition to Athletics and Rowing.

World Championship mixed 4x100 relay teams meet Olympic Quota. The number of Italian athletes qualified for Rio rises to 56

Two more relay swimming teams flying to Rio 2016. The mixed 4x100 relay male and female teams qualified for the Olympic Games during the World Championship being held in Kazan. The men's team, consisting of Simone Sabbioni, Marco Orsi (photo Deepblumedia-FIN), Andrea Toniato and Matteo Rivolta, with a time of 3'34 "59 - ninth overall - failed to hit the finals but joined the group of 12 national teams who automatically reached the Olympic Quota. The women's team of the mixed 4x100 relay also qualified for the Olympics with Elena Gemo, Arianna Castiglioni, Ilaria Bianchi and Erika Ferraioli, who recorded 4'00"92, just 49 hundredths of a second from Japan, eighth and last qualified team of the final.

The Italian athletes who met the Quota to participate in the XXXI edition of the Summer Olympics are now 56 (31 men -25 women) in nine disciplines including 6 individual. Here are the details:

Sailing (10 Quotas in 4 Olympic classes; Laser Radial women, Laser Standard mixed, RS:X 1 mixed and 1 woman, 49er FX 2 women, Nacra 17 1 man and 1 woman, 49er 2 men)

Target Shooting (9 Quotas; Trap 3- 2 men and 1 woman - Double Trap – 2 - Skeet 4 - 2 men and 2 women)

Swimming (20 Quotas; crawl 4x100 relay men and women - mixed 4x100 relay men and women – crawl 4x200 relay women)

Shooting (5 Quotas; Rifle 10m women, Rifle 3 p. men, Rifle prone men, Free pistol men, Rifle 50m men)

Archery (4 Quotas, 3 men and 1 woman)

Open water swimming (3 individual Quotas: Simone Ruffini, Federico Vanelli, Rachele Bruni - 10 km)

Boxing (2 individual Quotas: Valentino Manfredonia, 81kg and Clemente Russo, 91kg)

Diving (2 Quotas: 3m Springboard women and Platform women)

Modern Pentathlon (1 individual Quota: Riccardo De Luca).

Rio 2016: one year to go

Lots of things can happen in 365 days. Or 366 days, considering that 2016 is a leap year. In each person’s life there will be at least one summer, one birthday, lots of happiness, a little sadness, some stress and numerous achievements. The next 12 months will touch the lives of all cariocas and all Brazilians in a special way, culminating in the start of the biggest sporting festival on the planet, on 5 August 2016.

More than 10,000 of the best athletes in the world will come to Rio, representing 206 countries.

Until then, dozens of test events will warm the city up for the Games, the first to be staged in South America. At the same time, the country will be inspired by the Olympic torch relay, which will pass through 300 cities, starting in May. The great symbol of Olympism will help spread the warmth and joy of Brazilians across the whole world. Since Rio won the right to host the Games, in 2009, the organising committee has worked on many initiatives in various areas. Much has been achieved and more will be delivered in the final straight. It is an era that Brazil will never forget.

1. Taking the Games into schools

Launched in 2014, the Rio 2016 education programme (Transforma) promotes new sports, and Olympic and Paralympic values in schools.

• Transforma reaches 2,200 public and private institutions and one million students
• It has already trained 5,700 education professionals, including coordinators, physical education teachers, young agents and tutors
• Of this total, 3,600 are young agents (student leaders in schools)
• During this period, 12,780 hours of training were completed by coordinators and physical education teachers
• Three Transforma sports festivals have already brought together more than 3,000 people

What lies ahead?

To increase its reach, the programme launched in August, in partnership with the Ministry for Education, a long-distance online teaching platform, in Portuguese, English and Spanish.

2. Inspiring volunteering in Brazil and around the world

The volunteer programme, launched in 2014, had over 240,000 sign-ups from all states in Brazil and another 192 countries. The United States, Russia, China and Great Britain were the nations with the most candidates after Brazil.

• Over 240,000 sign-ups
• From 192 countries
• Eight training centres across Brazil
• Over 20,000 candidates already selected and ready to perform
• 70,000 will work at volunteers at the Olympic and Paralympic Games

What lies ahead?

This year the list of selected candidates will be published, and the training phase begins in February 2016.

3. Economic catalyst

Rio 2016’s objective is to have, by 2016, 70,000 licensed companies that will supply 40,000 sale points, as well as 150 official stores in airports, shopping centres, hotels, the athletes’ village and at all Games venues. Three stores are already open in Rio de Janeiro and there is also an online store in Brazil.

• 70  licensed companies
• 40,000  sale points
• 150  official
• 52  contracts already been signed
• More than 1,000 products developed

What lies ahead?

By the end of the year, more stores will be opened at airports in Rio and São Paulo, as well as shopping centres in Rio. The expectation is that by next year, thousands of different types of products will have been developed, which should generate R$1 billion in Brazilian retail.

4. A torch to inspire a nation

The concept of the Rio 2016 Olympic torch was presented at the beginning of 2015, with the union between the Olympic flame and the warmth of the Brazilian people being the central notion. The relay will begin with the traditional lighting ceremony in the Greek city of Olympia, birthplace of the ancient Games.

• 83 cities are already confirmed along the relay route
• 12,000 torchbearers will carry the Olympic flame around Brazil
• The torch will pass through 300 cities in 26 Brazilian states, as well as the Federal District
• The relay will last approximately 100 days, starting in the capital city of Brasília

What lies ahead?

By the end of 2015, Rio 2016 will announce all the cities where the relay will pass through. At the beginning of 2016, the organising committee and sponsors will announce who the 12,000 torchbearers will be.

5. Job creation

The Rio 2016 Games will create 85,000 contractor jobs, the majority of which will be in the service sector. The sectors that will hire the most people are:

• Security: 19,000
• Food and beverages: 14,000
• Transport:  8,000
• Tickets and hospitality: 8,000
• Cleaning services: 7,000

Beijing named host city of Olympic Winter Games 2022

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today named Beijing, People's Republic of China, as the host city of the Olympic Winter Games 2022.The Chinese capital was chosen over Almaty, Kazakhstan, in a vote at the 128th IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur. Beijing received 44 votes to Almaty’s 40. As a result, Beijing will become the first city to host both a summer and winter edition of the Olympic Games, following the city’s successful staging of the Summer Games in 2008.

Right after the election, representatives of Beijing (IOC's Photo)together with IOC President Thomas Bach signed the Host City Contract. This is the first time that the HCC is being made public, which is a result of the recommendations of Olympic Agenda 2020 - a reform package that significantly changed the host city selection process. Beijing aims to use the Games to accelerate the development of a new sport, culture and tourism area, and to encourage interest in winter sports in a region that is home to more than 300 million people in northern China.

Although the bid process for 2022 began before the approval of Olympic Agenda 2020, the reforms have already had a significant impact on Beijing’s Olympic plans. Olympic Agenda 2020 calls for a stronger focus on sustainability, legacy, and transparency, while making it easier for host cities to tailor Games that meet their needs rather than trying to fit a template. Beijing took advantage of the flexibility provided by Olympic Agenda 2020 to improve its plans for the Games and reduce costs. The city will rely heavily on existing venues, including those built for the Games in 2008, such as the iconic Bird’s Nest stadium.

Beijing’s proposed budget for investment in Olympic villages, sports venues and other infrastructure totals 1.5 billion US dollars – significantly less than for Olympic Games in the past. The proposed operational budget should be fully offset by revenue from ticket sales, marketing sponsorships and other income. Thanks to an additional contribution from the IOC of approximately 880 million US dollars to support the staging of the Olympic Winter Games in 2022, Beijing is confident that it will either break even or make a profit. In addition, post-Games legacy uses for all permanent venues have already been identified to ensure that Games-related investments deliver benefits for years to come.

Lausanne named Winter Youth Olympic Games host for 2020

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today named Lausanne, Switzerland, as the host city of the 3rd Winter Youth Olympic Games in 2020. Lausanne, home to the IOC headquarters since 1915 and known as the Olympic Capital, was chosen over Brasov, Romania, during a vote at the 128th IOC Session in Kuala Lumpur, with 71 votes to Brasov’s 10.

In line with Olympic Agenda 2020, the IOC’s strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement, approved last December, the Evaluation Commission for the Winter Youth Olympic Games 2020 focused its assessment of the two Candidate Cities for the first time on the key opportunities and risks associated with both bids and a focus on the athletes’ experience. The Commission, chaired by IOC Member in China Yang Yang, noted that both Lausanne and Brasov were capable of organising the Games. Lausanne was praised in particular for its good use of existing, temporary and demountable venues, in line with Olympic Agenda 2020 sustainability reforms.

Lausanne 2020 organisers have proposed 10 to 19 January 2020 as the dates for the Games. Over 1,000 athletes ranging in age from 15 to 18 are expected to compete at the Winter Youth Olympic Games 2020. Both YOG Candidate Cities were informed that a review of sports, disciplines and events will take place after the 2nd Winter Youth Olympic Games, due to be held in Lillehammer, Norway, in February 2016, and that the overall list of events would be completed approximately three years ahead of the Youth Olympic Games 2020.

President Bach will establish a Coordination Commission to assist Lausanne 2020 throughout its preparation period. The Youth Olympic Games are about competing, learning and sharing. They are a celebration of sport, youth, diversity and the Olympic values. They also exemplify the fundamental principle of Olympism to blend sport with culture and education. At the heart of the learn-and-share approach, a set of unique activities endeavours to equip the young athletes with sport and life skills; propose an innovative and powerful introduction to Olympism; and inspire participants to become ambassadors of the Olympic values. The 1st Winter Youth Olympic Games were held in Innsbruck, Austria in 2012. The 2nd edition is scheduled to take place from 12 to 21 February 2016 in Lillehammer, Norway.

PM Renzi to Malagò: “Full and total governmental support for the bid”

The Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, met this morning with the president of CONI, Giovanni Malagò at the Palazzo Chigi.

During the course of the meeting, which lasted around 45 minutes, they tackled a series of issues relating to the world of sport, starting with the candidacy of Rome for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“On behalf of the Government, I confirm full and total support for the bid of Rome”, said the Prime Minister to the President, to which he informed Renzi of his imminent trip to Kuala Lumur to participate in the 128th CIO Session. “Giovanni, give my regards to President Bach and tell him that I hope to meet him soon, I’d be pleased if he were to come to Italy”.

Malagò also updated Renzi on the development of the bid after the Boston withdrawal and on the situation of the international scene in light of the Agenda 2020.

“I am very happy with the conversation I had with Prime Minister Renzi – declared Malagò as he returned to his office at the Foro Italico -. It was a great meeting. Renzi and the Government are by our side and this gives us great strength in view of the Olympics. I leave for Kuala Lumpur even more optimistic. I have already informed President Luca of Montezemolo of the agenda. Among other things Renzi has told me that he will soon appoint a Minister for Sport”.

Among other issues, we also discussed details of sport in relation to the ISTAT [Italian Institute of National Statistics], Sport in Schools, ‘The Good School’ project, Italy’s candidacy for the 2022 Ryder Cup and for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. “Renzi – concluded Malagò – will be with me in Monza on the 6 September at the Formula 1 Grand Prix and has promised that he will do his best to be in Rio for a few days for the 2016 Olympic Games”.

Ambassadors to promote Rome 2024 around the world

The Foreign Affairs Ministry and the network of Italian embassies around the world today agreed to support Rome’s bid to host the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The president of the Rome 2024 bid committee, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, the president of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) Giovanni Malagò and the general manager of the committee, Claudia Bugno, were invited to be guests at the annual ambassadors’ conference, a meeting which is traditionally only attended by members of the Italian ambassador network. In a series of presentations, Rome’s bid leaders set out the city’s vision for bringing the Games back to the Italian capital for the first time since 1960.

Following the presentations, which highlighted the bid’s organizational plans and the International Olympic Committee’s bidding process, the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Ambassadors gave their full support to the bid and pledged to promote Rome during the course of the two year campaign, which will be decided in Lima, Peru in 2017. The backing of the Ambassadors and the Foreign Affairs Ministry is the latest strong declaration of support for Rome’s bid and follows the declarations of the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister and the Federal and Rome Municipal Government.