History of FIDAL

Costitution

After the introduction of running disciplines, which became very popular in Italy in the last decades of the past century, the first organisation to autonomously hold track and field events was the Unione Podistica Torinese (UPT or Torino Running Association). The Association was founded in Turin on 4 August 1897 under the presidency of Gustavo Verona. On 1 April 1899, led by president Mario Luigi Mina, UPT became Unione Podistica Italiana (UPI or Italian Running Association), and changed on 21 October 1906, through an initiative of the Gazzetta dello Sport, to Federazione Podistica Italiana (FPI or Italian Running Federation) which in the same year organised the first national championships extended to technical disciplines (previously organised by Federginnastica).

At the Milan Conference of 8 October 1909, FPI changed name to Federazione Italiana Sport Atletici (FISA or Italian Federation of Track and Field Sports), whose first action was to disseminate the table of Italian records. During the Conference, held on 21 December 1924, some clubs, principally from Liguria and Piemonte, broke away from FISA to form the Unione Italiana Sport Atletici (UISA or Italian Association of Track and Field Sports). The Federation was merged again on 27 May 1925, taking on the name of Federazione Italiana di Atletica Leggera (FIDAL or Italian Athletics Federation) at the Conference of Florence on 12 December 1926.

On 19 March 1927 FPI appointed Mr Leandro Arpinati MP President of FIDAL and of Federcalcio (Soccer Federation). Women’s races were organised by the Federazione Italiana Atletica Femminile (FIAF or Italian Womens’ Athletics Federation), established in Milan in 1923: on the basis of the “Sports Charter” of 1 January 1929, FIAF was incorporated into FIDAL, Federation listed in Law no. 426 of 16/2/1942.

Denomination

Originally, in 1906, it was known as Federazione Podistica Italiana (FPI or Italian Running Federation); from 1909 to 1926 as Federazione Italiana Sports Atletici (FISA or Italian Federation of Track and Field Sports); since 1926 it has borne the name of Federazione Italiana di Atletica Leggera (FIDAL or Italian Athletics Federation).

Federal Office

1898-1906 Turin; 1906-1911 Rome; 1912-1922 Milan; 1923-1925 Venice; 1925-1929 Bologna; from 1929 Rome.

First National Championships

1906 (men), 1927 (women).

First time the Olympics Games:

Paris 1900. 

Presidents

ITALIAN RUNNING UNION

1898 Gustavo Verona

1898-1905 Mario Luigi Mina

ITALIAN RUNNING FEDERATION 

1906-1907 On. Romeo Gallenga Stuart 

ITALIAN FEDERATION OF TRACK AND FIELD SPORTS 

1907 - 1911 Hon. Attilio Brunialti (outgoing)

1911 - 1912 Sen. Romeo Gallenga Stuart

1912 - 1922 Edgardo Longoni

1922 - 1923 Giuseppe Fusinato (outgoing)

1923 - 1925 Pietro Belloni

1925 Antonio Revedin (commissioner)

1925 - 1926 Alberto Buriani

ITALIAN ATHLETICS FEDERATION 

1926 - 1927 Alberto Buriani

1927 - 1929 Hon. Leandro Arpinati

1929 - 1930 Hon. Augusto Turati

1930 - 1943 Marquis Hon. Luigi Ridolfi

1943 Gaetano Simoni (commissioner)

1944 Gaetano Simoni (regent CONI)

1944 Virgilio Tommasi (commissioner)

1945 Angelo Vigani (regent CONI)

1946 - 1957 Bruno Zauli

1957 - 1958 Marquis Luigi Ridolfi

1958 - 1959 Gen. Gaetano Simoni (regent)

1959 - 1960 Gen. Gaetano Simoni

1961 - 1969 Giosuè Poli

1969 Vittorio Brunori (regent)

1969 - 1989 Primo Nebiolo (outgoing)

1989 - Adriano Rossi (regent)

1989 - 1994 Gianni Gola (outgoing)

1994 - 2004 Gianni Gola

2004 - 2012 Franco Arese

2012 - 2021 Alfio Giomi 

2021 - Stefano Mei 

Secretaries 

ITALIAN RUNNING UNION 

1898 Giulio Costamagna

1898-1905 Giuseppe Maccagno 

ITALIAN RUNNING FEDERATION 

1906 Ottavio Fogliarino

1906-1907 Arturo Balestrieri 

ITALIAN FEDERATION OF TRACK AND FIELD SPORTS 

1907 - 1908 Arturo Balestrieri

1908 - 1912 Tito Masini

1912 - 1913 Antonio Toma

1913 - 1919 Antonio Vaghi

1919 - Angelo Bagnato

1919 - 1920 Laerte Orlandini

1920 - 1922 Pietro Locatelli

1922 Giovanni Mariani

1922 - 1925 Lamberto Heinz

1925 - 1926 Mario Negroni 

ITALIAN ATHLETICS FEDERATION

1926 - 1929 Mario Negroni

1929 - 1930 Carlo Butti (outgoing)

1931 - 1938 Puccio Pucci

1939 - 1942 Mario Saini

1942 - 1943 Bruno Urbani (regent)

1943 Ottaviano Massimi (regent)

1944 Bruno Urbani (regent)

1944 Bruno Zauli (acting)

1946 - 1957 Giovanni Guabello

1958 - 1969 Ottaviano Massimi

1969 - 1988 Luciano Barra (outgoing)

1988 - 1990 Gianfranco Carabelli (outgoing)

1990 - 1991 Salvatore Morale

1991 - 1993 Vincenzo Romano (regent)

1994 - 1997 Massimo Di Marzio

1997 - 1999 Massimo Ceccotti

1999 - Renato Di Rocco

1999 - 2001 Roberto Fabbricini (interim)

2001 - 2004 Gianni Sorti

2005 - 2008 Gianfranco Carabelli

2009 - 2013 Renato Montabone

2013 Paolo Giacomo Bellino

2013  - 2021 Fabio Pagliara

2021 - Alessandro Londi