Milan, Cortina and Valentina | Radio-Canada.ca
No, I’m not a journalist, she told me eagerly, in English perfumed with a charming Italian accent. But I interview the athletes. I am a former figure skating champion from my country.
Little dance step backwards, I don’t know. I had to skate a bit myself to apologize. Her name is Valentina Marchei and she took part in the Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014 and those in Pyeongchang in 2018.
I am the first skater to have competed in consecutive Olympic Games in two different disciplines. Solo, then couple.
The guy was losing feathers visibly. Alain Goldberg would not be proud of me. Nor my colleague Jacinthe Taillon, a specialist in this sport and who has already questioned her.
Triple loop dive, I sink into my choreography. You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. But that’s no reason not to continue the discussion. I am advancing on a subject in which I hope to be able to restore my image.
I point out to her, correctly, that the next Winter Games will be held at her home in the cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, in 2026.
I am precisely the first ambassador of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Games Foundation. It is my job to recruit all the ambassadors for our Games in Italy. They will come from all sectors of activity, not just sports. I want people who can convey the Olympic ideal. In southern Italy there are little ones who have never seen snow. I need someone who talks to them, who understands them and who they will listen to. We must contaminate all of Italy…
Contaminator? I am infected. And do you miss skating, Madame Marchei?
I often say that I don’t skate with my feet, but my heart. In 2006, when I didn’t qualify for the Turin Games, which took place in my country, I cried watching the competitions on television. In 2010, in Vancouver, I also missed my chance and it was from my seat as a television commentator that I attended the event.
” I can say that I was able to observe both sides of the coin. I understood then that I was not practicing this sport to participate in the Olympics, but because I loved my sport. »
And after qualifying solo in Sochi, I made the transition to the couple. I often heard that I was too old. We do not believe that we were going to succeed, my partner and I. At the end of the Games in 2018, we were 6th in the world. I was 31 years old.
Then I discover that Valentina speaks in French when she seems to understand a tasteful joke that I make to my colleague Frédéric, the cameraman who accompanies me.
I speak French, but sometimes I don’t understand in Montreal. It does not always sound like in France!
On that, I have to agree with Valentina. We had to continue our conversation in French.
It’s really cold where you are. I’ve already gone to train in Montreal and I hadn’t crossed the street that my nose was already frozen
she said laughing.
Well, she speaks French very well. Our trip is over, I need to know more. Tell me, Valentina, did all of Italy line up behind the Olympic project?
So far, so good. People start talking. They wonder how it will turn out. We must not forget that this is the first Olympic Games granted to two cities. It really is the Olympics of Italy as a whole. You have to seduce people, but with the right messages.
We don’t build anything. Everything that will serve the Olympics already exists. It is important that these Olympic Games leave a legacy for future generations. Socially, economically and environmentally. We will grow over the next four years by staying compact. And don’t forget the Paralympic Games!
When the Games were awarded to the Italian Olympic Committee in June 2019, an IOC poll at the time revealed 85% support from residents for the project. Milan and Cortina were preferred over the city of Stockholm, Sweden.
Here in China, we spent a fortune to get results. Does Italy invest heavily in the development of its young athletes? So many questions in my head as we piled on top of each other on the bus. The impromptu interview continues.
We saw our extraordinary results at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Federations invest in youth. The programs have been in existence for several years. We can start to assess very young children by giving them the means. You can see the talent, but it’s unclear whether the youngster will become an Olympic champion. It is at the base that we develop good young athletes. These programs are for everyone, not just the elite.
And by the way, what are you doing tonight? Professionally, of course…
I do the post-race interviews with the short track speed skaters. I like this profession. I also hosted a program on Italian television this summer in preparation for the Tokyo Olympics, in which I met athletes and tried to practice their sport. I was not really able to follow them! Me, I’m a skater!
Me, I am a journalist. That’s a lot of questions in one go before you get to your destination. Sometimes traveling a long distance between competition venues can work in your favor. Thanks Beijing.
I am a woman of emotion and passion. Italy has magnificent territories to discover. We often look abroad to detach ourselves from our daily lives, but there is a lot to discover at home. The Italians will be proud of themselves. We are welcoming people. We like to share. Visitors could explore Italian culture, and taste our food.
” And the Olympics aren’t just for top athletes. The Olympic values are for everyone. »
Then Valentina goes on with a final reflection on her career and the message she wants to convey to young figure skaters who practice their sport individually or as a couple.
When I was doing a solo career, when something broke, I was on my own to fix the broken pots. I talk to myself. The transition as a couple was difficult. I learned over time that the compromise you have to make is not with the other person, but with yourself. You have to let go of responsibilities while in solo, everything is yours. Bringing someone into your bubble, someone who is not your best friend, brother or fiancé and exposing yourself to that person is essential.
” We hold each other’s dreams in our hands. It’s called respect. Respect is one of my favorite Olympic values. »
Long live respect.
The Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Games will take place from February 6 to 22, 2026. Italy also hosted the Winter Games in 1956, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, and in Turin, in 2006. Rome has was the host city of the Summer Games in 1960.
And Valentina Marchei? Before letting go, I invited her to a TV interview. You will soon be able to see this report which will introduce you to this ambassador of the 2026 Games.
I think you should remember his name until these Winter Games are held in Italy. It seems to contribute to their success.