Paris 2024, Mattarella: ‘Super Italian sport’ – News – Ansa.it

President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, Olympic and Paralympic medal winners received the Paris 2024 Games at the Quirinale and this year, for the first time, also the Italian athletes who were ranking in the fourth place. The ceremony opened with the playing of the national anthem and the screening of a video called “Paris 2024” created by Rai Sport. The president of the Italian National Olympic Committee, Giovanni Malagò and the president of the Italian Paralympic Committee, Luca Pancalli, spoke.

After that Olympic Team Pallbearers, Arianna Errigo and Gianmarco Tamberi, and Paralympic Team Pallbearers, Ambra Sabatinireturned the national flags with the names of the athletes who won Olympic and Paralympic medals to the Head of State. President Mattarella welcomed those present and then presented a commemorative medal to the athletes. The managers of the IOC, CONI and CIP, the technical commissioners of the disciplines that won medals, and the leaders of the Armed Forces and the State Organization representing the individual sports organizations were present at the meeting.

“It stands out the excellent state of health of Italian sportsa clear proof of the quality of our teams,” he said The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, who spoke of “a sporting event in good health and growing, supported in every way”. Italy did “even better than Tokyo” and “it was difficult”, he said. This meeting at the Quirinale “wants to extend the sporting celebration that began with the delivery of the flags and became the games” in Paris, “it would like to recapture its spirit, that attractive and inspiring spirit which you all have explained so well. and he made it live”, began Mattarella. “It is amazing that Italy has collected medals every day, which is unbelievable” with “experiences” in the past. “And since it is the only country that has this feature – added Mattarella to the president of Coni Giovanni Malagò – it is really a source of satisfaction”.

“The proofs” of the good health of Italian sport “continue, as given yesterday by Filippo Ganna and Edoardo Affini in the world cycling championships”, explained the head of state.

“I would like to say to Gianmarco Tamberi and Ambra Sabatini with which they won the medals the generous participation and love of everyone“, said the President of the Republic again.

The President of the Republic presented a medal to the Italian men and women who finished on the podium, and got fourth place in their own trials, at the Paris Olympics and Paralympics. The head of state shook hands and praised all the Azzurri by praising them one by one and exchanging a few more words with some of them, such as Assunta Legnante, Rigivan Ganeshamoorthy and Gregorio Paltrinieri.

Mattarella emphasized “present, together with those who won a medal, those who won fourth place. Not only because they represent all the athletes who participated, even without getting on the podium. This is the Olympic spirit.” But “it also represents how strong our sports movement was in Paris. The medals are not the result of individual champions,” he said.

“President Mattarella, you were our first gold medal at the Paris Games”, he thanked the president of CONI, Giovanni Malagòhead of state to attend the Olympics. “You – following Malagò – have always been close, but this time you were present: you came to town, you followed the competitions, this worried our athletes. And through ​​​​​​​performance you attacked the weather to see the tricolor parade “, concluded Malagò remembering Mattarella in the rain and making the Head of State smile.

Pancalli to Mattarella: ‘Thank you for being with us’

“Results are not achieved by chance and the success in Paris was extraordinarywe also passed FranceLuca Pancalli, president of the Italian Paralympic Committee, started this way at a ceremony at the Quirinale. “His presence at the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games was very important for us – he continued, speaking to the President of the Republic Mattarella – because staying with them, at the table, was another sign of recognition and respect. At the beginning we had many dreams and ambitions, the edition in Paris was an innovative one and we will be able to say ‘we were there’ and remember that President Mattarella was there with us.” Before that Pancalli had given special thanks to Rai2, who “with the Paralympic network allowed us to enter the homes of Italians, who became curious, passionate, in love. According to the data, the most affected age group was those under 35”.

Mattarella received the ball from the Italian volleyball team and Rigivan puck

The ball from the Olympic women’s volleyball final, signed by all the athletes who won the historic first gold in Paris, was presented to President Mattarella, who is a big fan of the discipline, at a ceremony at the Quirinale. The Head of State also received the discus used in the Paralympic final by the Italian Rigivan Ganeshamoorthy, who became famous for his result along with three world records in one race.