IOC President Bach meets representatives of Italian sport: “Thank you, Italia!”
The Salone d’Onore of CONI provided the stage for the meeting between IOC President Thomas Bach and representatives of the Italian sporting world. “It is a great honour to have President Bach with us,” declared CONI President Giovanni Malagò, as he introduced the leader of the International Olympic Committee. “He will be with us until Thursday, when we will celebrate ‘One Year to Go’ to Milano Cortina 2026 in Milan”.
“The reason I am here is to say ‘Thank you, Italia’,” explained Bach. “I must thank the Olympic community and the institutions. This morning, I expressed my gratitude to President Mattarella, who has always been a great supporter of Olympic values. My affection for Italy goes back a long way, to my school days: my neighbours owned an ice cream parlour and allowed me to earn a little money by working there and learning the secrets of Italian gelato” recalled the IOC President.
“I have spent a lot of time in Italy and there are moments I will never forget. One in particular stands out: when Mario Pescante and Franco Carraro revealed to me that they would support my candidacy for the IOC Presidency. I want to thank them both, I will never forget it,” continued Bach, also thanking former President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations Francesco Ricci Bitti, IOC member Ivo Ferriani, and international presidents Luciano Rossi and Sabatino Aracu. “Today, I would like to gift the Italian Olympic community the IOC President’s Trophy, also known as ‘The Sky is the Limit’,” he concluded, as he presented the sculpture to President Malagò. “Thank you, Italia. Forza Italia”.
"This is an award that CONI shares with all of you," said Malagò, addressing the representatives of the sports bodies. "I think you are all proud to be part of this family, and this recognition is the highest honour for what CONI has achieved throughout its history".
During the meeting, Malagò also awarded the Collare d’Oro, the highest sporting honour, to the Italian Sports Medicine Federation, represented by President Maurizio Casasco, “for the work carried out during Covid”. “Our country was an example to the entire world and I want to thank you in front of President Bach,” explained the CONI President.
“It is a great honour to receive the Collare d’Oro. I thank Malagò,” emphasised Casasco. “During the Covid period, we worked day and night to launch a protocol that allowed everyone to carry out physical activity safely. We did the same during the vaccination phase, with the direct involvement of our doctors. We are proud to have safeguarded public health”.
Il Presidente CIO Bach incontra al CONI lo sport italiano. Malagò premiato con "The Sky is the Limit’”
