Magnificent Thomas Ceccon: triumphing in the 100 metres backstroke to secure Italia Team’s second gold

• SWIMMING

An extraordinary Thomas Ceccon lit up the third evening of the swimming finals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

In the pool at the Defense Arena, the prodigy from Thiene triumphed in the 100 metres backstroke, delivering Italia Team their second gold medal of this Olympics.

The Azzurro (photo by Simone Ferraro/CONI), having recorded the second-fastest time in the semi-finals (52.58), improved to 52.00 in the final, finishing ahead of China’s Jiayu Xu (52.32) and the United States' Ryan Murphy (52.39).

This marks the seventh gold in the history of Italian swimming at the Games, the first in this speciality. Ceccon, having won three Olympic relay medals, achieved the satisfaction of his first individual podium (although he won four at Buenos Aires 2018 in the Youth Olympic Games), after narrowly missing out three years ago at the Tokyo edition.

First gold for Italia Team at Paris 2024: a stunning Nicolò Martinenghi wins the 100 metres breaststroke

• SWIMMING

Nicolò Martinenghi is the first Italia Team athlete to secure a gold medal at Paris 2024. 

The Azzurro triumphed in the 100 metres breaststroke with a time of 59.03. The silver medal was shared by Britain's Adam Peaty and the United States' Nic Fink (both 59.05).

This is the sixth gold medal in the history of Italian swimming at the Olympic Games, while Martinenghi (photo by Simone Ferraro/CONI) celebrates his third Olympics career medal after his bronzes in Tokyo 2020 in the same 100 metres breaststroke and the 4x100 metres medley relay.

Historic double podium for the Azzurri in the 10-metre pistol: Maldini wins silver, Monna takes bronze

• SHOOTING

Italia Team made history at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre.

In shooting, the fourth and fifth medals of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games were achieved by Federico Nilo Maldini and Paolo Monna, who claimed silver and bronze, respectively, in the 10-metre air pistol event.

This marks a historic double podium (photo by Ferdinando Mezzelani/CONI). Never before have two Azzurri finished simultaneously in the top three in this Olympic event, with Italy celebrating once again in the discipline following Roberto Di Donna's gold in Atlanta 1996 and Luca Tesconi's silver in London 2012. 

Maldini and Monna, after recording the second-best (581/600-16x) and fifth-best (579/600-18x) scores in the qualification session, finished their finals with scores of 240.0 and 218.6, respectively. The gold, however, was claimed by China's Yu Xie (240.9), who managed to prevail in the last series of two shots against Maldini.

Italia Team scores a hat-trick at Paris 2024: bronze medal for the Azzurri in the 4x100 freestyle relay

• SWIMMING

Italia Team secures third medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

On the first evening of the swimming finals at the Defense Arena, the Italia Team claimed a bronze medal. The quartet of Alessandro Miressi, Thomas Ceccon, Paolo Conte Bonin, and Manuel Frigo (photo by Simone Ferraro/CONI) achieved this success.

The gold medal went to the United States (3:09.28), who managed to finish ahead of both Australia (+1.07) and the Azzurri (+1.42), showing remarkable resilience by maintaining their performance despite competing in the seventh lane following their sixth-place finish in the morning qualifiers (3:12.94).

For Italy, this marks a continued presence on the Olympic podium in this discipline, following the silver medal won three years ago in Tokyo.

Sabre: Luigi Samele claims bronze at Paris 2024 and confirms his Olympic podium status

• FENCING

Luigi Samele's roar echoed around the Grand Palais, bringing Italia Team its second medal of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The champion from Foggia, supported by the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, secured the bronze medal in men's sabre, returning to the Olympic individual podium three years after his silver medal at the Tokyo Games.

The Azzurro (photo by Augusto Bizzi/CONI), after a bye in the first round, defeated Canadian Shaul Gordon 15-10 in the round of 32, then overcame compatriot Luca Curatoli 15-12 in the round of 16. In the quarter-finals, he used his greater experience to defeat Mohamed Amer 15-13 after the Egyptian made a comeback attempt in the final touches. In the semi-final, he was clearly defeated 15-5 by Korean Sanguk Oh, but in the match for the Olympic podium, he held his nerve and triumphed 15-12 against another Egyptian, Ziad Elsissy, who was the number one seed.

First Italian medal at Paris 2024: Ganna takes silver in the time trial in front of President Mattarella

• CYCLING

Filippo Ganna is the first Italia Team athlete to secure a medal at Paris 2024.

The Azzurro finished the cycling time trial with a time of 36:27.08, earning the silver medal. Only Belgium's Remco Evenepoel did better, winning in 36:12.16. The podium was completed by another Belgian athlete, Wout van Aert, who finished third with a time of 36:37.79.

The other Azzurro in the race, Alberto Bettiol, finished eighteenth with a time of 38:06.77.

The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, was in attendance at the race.

This marks the second Olympic medal in Filippo Ganna's career and his first on the road, having previously won gold in the team pursuit on the track at Tokyo 2020 alongside Simone Consonni, Francesco Lamon, and Jonathan Milan (photo by Luca Pagliaricci CONI).

Giorgio Armani dresses the Italian team for the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Giorgio Armani, the Official Outfitter for the Italian Olympic Team, dressed the athletes for the official Opening Ceremony of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, held tonight in Paris. For the first time ever, the athletes paraded along the Seine by boat.

Athletes from multiple disciplines wore a special EA7 Emporio Armani design. The tracksuits, embossed with EA7 and Coni logos, are made of neoprene in Armani blue. The upper features two front zips, a hood with tricolour lining and large pixel-effect ‘Italy’ lettering on the back. The uniform perfectly blends Armani elegance, sporting functionality and national values. The entire first verse of the Italian national anthem, in its original version, is printed inside the jacket over the heart.

Giorgio Armani has previously dressed athletes for the London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, as well as the Sochi 2014, Pyeongchang 2018 and Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

The garments worn by the Italian Olympic team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are available from Emporio Armani shops, multi-brand stores and online.

IOC elects Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 as Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games host

• IOC SESSION IN PARIS

Salt Lake City-Utah will host the XXVII Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2034 . This decision was taken by the IOC Members today during the 142nd IOC Session Paris.

The Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 delegation was led by the Governor of Utah, Spencer Cox, the Mayor of Salt Lake City, Erin Mendenhall, the President of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), Gene Sykes, and the President of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, Fraser Bullock.

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “Salt Lake City and Utah are long-time friends of the Olympic Movement, and we are confident that they will organise exceptional Olympic and Paralympic Games, just as they did years ago. The legacy of 2002 is tangibly and passionately alive in Utah. The legacy of 2034 starts today.”

Governor Cox said: “The Olympics and Paralympics represent so much more than competition. At its core, the Olympic Movement is about building community and celebrating excellence, things we do really well in Utah. More than 80 per cent of Utahns and 100 per cent of our elected leaders supported our Olympic bid. We're ready to host another Olympic Winter Games, and we can't wait to welcome the world back to Utah in 2034.”

There was a final report by Karl Stoss, IOC Member and Chair of the Future Host Commission for the Olympic Winter Games, the IOC body responsible for monitoring and analysing interest in hosting the Olympic Winter Games and Winter Youth Olympic Games.

“Olympic Winter Games in Utah represent a fantastic opportunity,” he said. “This very strong project benefits from an exceptionally high level of public and political support. The athletes will benefit from great facilities and opportunities this project has to offer.”

Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 has the ambition to extend the transformative benefits of Salt Lake City 2002 to a new generation and make the resources and experience of Utah available for the benefit of the Olympic and Paralympic Movement.

It is fully aligned with Olympic Agenda 2020 and 2020+5, as well as regional socio-economic development plans, especially around creating long-term benefits for the region and potentially the country, for example by expanding existing sports and social programmes for young people and athletes.

The Games will be hosted in world class, 100 per cent existing or temporary venues, and will assist efforts to drive sustainable change in Utah.

“During our visit, the Commission was able to see first-hand these excellent venues and to witness the immense experience and expertise that exists,” explained Mr Stoss. “Enthusiasm for the Games was palpable in every interaction we had, both at the venues and in meetings with athletes, sports leaders, politicians and the private sector.”

Erin Mendenhall, the Mayor of Salt Lake City, said: “Salt Lake City and the Olympic and Paralympic Movement are deeply connected through values - our commitment to diversity, love for our youth and the tireless work to preserve our environment. These principles are shared through the lens of sport. I can’t imagine a better partnership than the one we continue to forge with our Olympic partners.”

“This a great day for winter sport in the United States and around the world,” said USOPC President Gene Sykes. “The Games vision brought forth by the Salt Lake City-Utah team – inclusive of state and city leaders, the remarkable bid team and the community that showed support for this effort throughout – has been collaborative and forward-looking from the very start. We are thankful to the IOC and to Karl Stoss who led the Future Host Commission, and we look forward to the process of organising what we know will be terrific Games in 2034.”

Fraser Bullock, President and CEO of the Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games, said: “Today's decision by the International Olympic Committee is as much about the Olympic and Paralympic Movement as it is about Salt Lake City-Utah. We are proud to show the world how our living legacy brings value to our communities, enriches the lives of youth, and helps contribute to the world of sport.”

Before the vote, IOC Members were able to put questions to Mr Stoss and to the Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 leadership.

Serious concerns were expressed about recent developments in the United States around the challenge to the supreme authority of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which could have negative implications for international sports events held in the USA.

In their presentations, Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 and the USOPC confirmed that they are fully committed to compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code, and that their dedication to clean sport and to the coordinated international anti-doping effort led by WADA is absolute.

IOC Member John Coates, Chair of the IOC’s Legal Affairs Commission, confirmed that the Olympic Host Contract will be strengthened in relation to WADA and the World Anti-Doping Code. The IOC has reinforced the current language in order to protect the integrity of the international anti-doping system and to allow the IOC to terminate the Olympic Host Contract in cases where “the supreme authority of the World Anti-Doping Agency in the fight against doping is not fully respected or if the application of the World Anti-Doping Code is hindered or undermined”.

This measure has been fully supported by the State of Utah and the USOPC.

There were 83 ‘yes’ votes for Salt Lake City-Utah 2034 by IOC Members, 6 ‘no’ votes and 6 abstentions, out of 89 valid votes.

IOC elects French Alps 2030 as Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games host

• IOC SESSION IN PARIS

The French Alps are set to host the XXVI Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2030. This decision was taken by the IOC Members today during the 142nd IOC Session Paris. Their vote was subject to the submission of the Games Delivery Guarantee under timelines set by the IOC Executive Board, since this was not possible before the host election due to constitutional reasons in the current political context in France.

The Games Delivery Guarantee should be received from the Prime Minister at the latest by 1 October 2024 and should be ratified by the French Parliament no later than 1 March 2025.

The delegation of the French Alps 2030 was led by the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, who expressed the full commitment of France to these Games. It also included the Presidents of the two regions where the Games will be held, Laurent Wauquiez of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Renaud Muselier of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, and the Presidents of the French Olympic and Paralympic Committees, David Lappartient and Marie-Amélie Le Fur.

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “President Macron and all stakeholders in French Alps 2030 have today reiterated their full commitment to the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2030. We have full confidence in France to organise an outstanding edition of the Olympic Winter Games, with the same creativity, imagination and flair we are currently experiencing at Paris 2024.”

President Macron said: “France pushes the limits of excellence every time it organises a sports event. We believe in the future of our mountains, and we need to support their model for the future: innovative, ambitious, mindful of ecological issues, and accessible by everyone.

“I reaffirm to you here this morning the full commitment of the French State to organising these Games. Paris 2024 will be a success, and the same will be true for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2030.

“You can trust us – we will be there, and we are proud to support this candidature for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2030.”

There was a final report by Karl Stoss, IOC Member and Chair of the Future Host Commission for the Olympic Winter Games, the IOC body responsible for monitoring and analysing interest in hosting the Olympic Winter Games and Winter Youth Olympic Games.

Mr Stoss said: “French Alps 2030 is a very solid project that benefits from strong public and political support, proven ability to deliver high-level sports competitions, excellent venues, and opportunities to capitalise on the knowledge and experience of France hosting Paris 2024.

“During our visit, the Commission felt that the legacy of Albertville 1992 continues to benefit local communities today. The vision of French Alps 2030 to stage responsible and sustainable Games, open to all, was very clear in our meetings with athletes, sports leaders and public authorities. French Alps 2030 has all the elements required to deliver successful Games.”

French Alps 2030 – known as Alpes françaises 2030 across the French-speaking world – aims to unite the north and south French Alps and make them a hub for winter sport, to bring maximum social and economic benefits to their communities.

It will be the first edition of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games to fully integrate the principles of Olympic Agenda 2020 and 2020+5, as well as new requirements on sustainability set by the IOC’s Olympic Host Contract.

David Lappartient, President of the French National Olympic Committee (CNOSF), said: “I am proud and happy that the IOC has chosen the French Alps candidature to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2030. For several months now, we and the athletes have shared a collective ambition to offer simpler, responsible and inclusive Games, in line with the challenges of our times and the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020+5. Supported by the expertise of France and our communities in terms of organising major international events, we shall continue to work together to build the Games of tomorrow, for our young people and for the benefit of Olympism, winter sports and the mountains. The challenge is huge, but we are ready to take it on!”

Marie-Amélie Le Fur, President of the French Paralympic Committee (CPSF), said: “Our generation has the unique privilege of maintaining the impetus of the Paris 2024 Games. By organising the French Alps 2030 Games, we shall have the chance to immediately apply the lessons we are learning now by creating a new standard for the Games, which are adapting to the changes in our world and helping to speed up the development of sport for persons with disabilities.”

Laurent Wauquiez, President of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, said: “This victory is for our French Alps, a region with a passion for sport and structured by Olympism. We now have the great responsibility of offering the world simpler and sustainable Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, which will benefit the region and leave a legacy for everyone. Our ambition is now to offer the best setting in which to write the greatest story in the history of tomorrow’s mountains, with an event for the people that will inspire a passion for sport and live long in the memory of the next generations.”

Renaud Muselier, President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, said: “Announced in January 2022, secured in July 2024: the Olympic and Paralympic Games are coming to the Région Sud in 2030! Thirty months of combat: the fastest anyone has ever obtained the Games. We’re going to show the world that the 21st century will have its Winter Games: reinvented, simpler, less costly. Exemplary sustainable Games, snow and chalets! Games that will benefit our communities and all our citizens. Long live the French Alps, long live the Games!”

The finalisation of the Games Delivery Guarantee remains open for constitutional reasons in France, following the national election.

While French Alps 2030 submitted a signed copy of the Olympic Host Contract prior to the IOC Session, the IOC will not counter sign it until the Games Delivery Guarantee is received, at the latest by 1 October 2024, and ratified by the French Parliament no later than 1 March 2025.

There were 84 ‘yes’ votes for French Alps 2030 by the IOC Members, 4 ‘no’ votes and 7 abstentions, out of 88 valid votes.

The 142nd IOC Session also approved the initial sports programme for the Olympic Winter Games 2030, as proposed by the IOC Executive Board. The seven sports – biathlon, bobsleigh, curling, ice hockey, luge, skating and skiing – will be governed by the relevant Winter International Sports Federations (IFs) listed in the Olympic Charter. There will be a new step to determine the disciplines in each sport approximately five years before the Games.

Italia Team sets a record with 403 athletes qualified for Paris 2024: the largest Azzurro delegation in history

• OLYMPICS

A record-breaking Italia Team. With the announcement of the list of athletes, the ‘Road to Paris 2024’ officially comes to a close, marking the end of this unusual three-year Olympic qualification period due to the one-year postponement of Tokyo 2020. And the Italian delegation for the French Olympic Games, scheduled from 26 July to 11 August, is already making history. 

A total of 403 Azzurri (209 men and 194 women) are heading to Paris, guided by flag bearers Arianna Errigo and Gianmarco Tamberi, to compete in 34 disciplines. This number allows Italia Team to surpass the previous record set at Tokyo 2020 (384 athletes – 197 men and 187 women).

The youngest athlete is swimmer Carlos D’Ambrosio, who turned 17 on 5 February, while the youngest female athlete is gymnast Manila Esposito, born on 2 November 2006.

The most experienced athlete is shooter Giovanni Pellielo (photo by ANSA), who, competing in trap shooting, will take part in his eighth Olympics with the jersey of the Azzurri, equalling the record of brothers Piero and Raimondo d’Inzeo (equestrian sports), who participated in the editions from 1948 to 1976, and Josefa Idem (canoeing), who took part in Los Angeles 1984 and Seoul 1988 representing West Germany before achieving six consecutive appearances with Italy.

THE LIST