Diplomas awarded for the second ‘Franco Chimenti’ Olympic Management Course, Buonfiglio: “We invest in education to remain successful”
The second edition of the ‘Franco Chimenti’ Olympic Management Course, organised by the CONI Olympic Specialisation School, has come to a close. The Aula Magna of the CONI Olympic Training Centre ‘Giulio Onesti’ in Rome hosted the diploma ceremony for twenty graduates, including six Olympic athletes and former Olympians: Caterina Banti (sailing), Claudia Cesarini (modern pentathlon), Francesca Gallina (snowboard), Riccardo De Luca (modern pentathlon), Simone Gonin (curling) and Lorenzo Bacci (shooting). The aim is to develop cutting-edge, highly qualified professionals capable of contributing to the success of sport and the Olympic team.
The 300-hour course, divided into nine modules and requiring full attendance and residential participation, took place from May to October 2025 at the ‘Giulio Onesti’ Olympic Training Centre. It provided an in-depth understanding of the Olympic System at both national and international level, with a focus on the management of CONI and other sporting institutions. The training programme aimed to enhance understanding of sport, Olympic values and regulations for people of all abilities and disabilities, while also strengthening expertise in legal matters, finance, marketing, innovation, management and contract law.
The programme also included an internship: participants were integrated into the CONI Olympic Delegation at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, with roles individually assigned by CONI General Secretary and Italia Team Chef de Mission, Carlo Mornati.
“The first time I came here was in the Seventies, when I had to undergo medical examinations for the Olympic Games,” said CONI President Luciano Buonfiglio, a former Olympic canoeist, following an introduction by Giampiero Pastore, Director of the CONI Institute of Sports Medicine and Science. “What strikes me immediately is the professionalism and the desire to improve, which is the essence of the five rings. We are people who have developed a working method that is now spreading across all Federations. The School of Sport has produced generations of coaches and executives. In my time, after the Games, I realised the disastrous condition of our administrators in relation to the human talent they had at their disposal. As a former athlete, I decided to challenge that, to demand more. And to become professionally competent. Because without competence you are fragile. Athletes must see us as builders of certainty, capable of creating synergies that produce results. Behind every person who practises sport there is a story of personal improvement. We are destined to win so that people talk about us and young people listen to the values we try to convey. We are proud of the work you have done and increasingly convinced that we must continue to invest in education. This is how we will remain successful. I am proud to represent Italian sport, made up of people who give everything to grow”.
CONI General Secretary Carlo Mornati added: “It is wonderful that the diploma ceremony is taking place while the women’s national rugby team is training just a few metres away, our divers are in the pool, and alongside us is the CONI Institute of Sports Medicine and Science. We have defined the framework within which we must operate.” Addressing the students, he continued: “You contributed to the greatest Italian success in the history of the Winter Olympic Games by taking part in Milano Cortina 2026. It has been a very fruitful course, fully aligned with our objectives. I am particularly proud of what CONI is doing. The results are there to see: our goal remains to raise the level of professionalism in our sporting world. This course is a major investment in sport. We hope you will soon be able to put into practice what you have learned. In sport, practice is fundamental”.
Also speaking was Angelo Maria Petroni, Scientific Director of the Olympic Specialisation School: “We wanted to create a professional school, not an academic one. People come here already equipped with solid basic knowledge and then learn how to manage, how to act. Sport is passion, sport is reason. Knowledge has expanded enormously in the modern world, and lifelong learning is essential. All professions require continuous learning. Through this school, a community for managing Italian sport has been created. Knowledge can become outdated, methods do not. We hope you have acquired a learning method that will serve you in the future and that we will continue to nurture”.
Gabriella Palmieri Sandulli, President of the CONI Sports Guarantee Board, added: “I was struck by the multidisciplinary nature of the course. We shared our knowledge with a practical approach, combining theory with real-world application. And proximity to athletes is extremely important: you are representatives of values that are also essential at a social level”.
In closing, Carlo Nardello, Consultant for the Olympic Training Project, retraced the students’ journey, involving Danilo di Tommaso (Head of Ceremonial, Communication and Media Relations at CONI), Pietro Parenti (Course Student Coordinator) and Rita Sicoli (a constant point of reference for students at the ‘Giulio Onesti’ Centre throughout the course), up to the final qualifying examination for Olympic Sports Manager.
The third edition of the Olympic Management Course will take place from 19 October 2026 to 12 February 2027. (agc)
Cerimonia dei diplomi per gli allievi del 2° Corso in Management Olimpico
