Games 2026, Turin is out. Rebus Arena Verona
“They didn’t want us, they don’t deserve us”: the Governor of Lombardy, Attilio Fontana, centre-right, knocks hard and closes the door to Turin, which had come forward to host (at least) the Olympic skating competitions after the exclusion of Baselga of Piné. The Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Games cause discussion and argument. There is no shortage of problems, including work delays (there is no open construction site…).
Fontana’s exit doesn’t seem like the usual thrown-out sentence because votes will soon be held in Lombardy. And it is particularly heavy because even the Governor of Piedmont, Alberto Cirio, is center-right. No, Fontana’s thought is also shared by Sala, Pd, mayor of Milan, and by Zaia, Lega, Governor of Veneto. And all three, mind you, are part of the Olympic Foundation (at the top there is a very worried Malagò) who must decide. For Turin, this really seems like the second missed opportunity. The first with the mayor Chiara Appendino, 5 Stars. “Three days before the filing of the dossier – recalls Fontana – the mayor told us “I’m not participating anymore”, pulling out. From Milan-Cortina-Turin, therefore, only Milan and Cortina became the Olympics. And we can’t change anymore: the IOC has decided. Now the governor Cirio, and the mayor of Turin, Lo Russo, Pd, have come forward: the proposal to put the Cesana bobsleigh track back on its feet (costing 110 million, now a ruin) failed immediately, we remain in Cortina . But there were good, perhaps excellent, possibilities of bringing speed skating to the Lingotto Oval. Except that the (private) body that manages it had asked too much in terms of rent and rebuilding of the track and then from Piedmont it wanted a seat on the Foundation’s board of directors, which is not possible because two laws would need to be changed. Now Fontana, Zaia and Sala close the door to Turin. Cirio replies with soft tones. “Piedmont remains available to the Olympic organizational machine and will continue to be so, confident that the path of collaboration will be chosen, to allow for the good use of citizens’ resources, due respect for the environment and the best possible outcome of this important event”. But the feasible roads for the speed skating competitions, 180 athletes, at the moment only seem necessary: either you go to Longarone (crucial node, a variant of Longarone costs 396 million, contract perhaps by 2023) where there is a large , or you choose a Fair or a hangar in the Province of Milan. The structure is not difficult to find: as long as there is space for the track and to set up removable grandstands. For Turin, two golden opportunities thrown away.
Another problem, not just. The closing of the Olympics (February 22, 2026) and the inauguration of the Paralympics, shortly after (March 6), are planned in a unique place in the world, the Arena di Verona, a Roman amphitheater protected by the Superintendence. Not long ago, during some works, the base of the Stella, weighing about ten quintals, fell onto the steps, causing considerable damage. The Arena is currently seized, pending investigations by the judiciary. We will now have to see what the Superintendence will say. It would be a serious problem if the two events could not be hosted at the Arena. They cannot be moved to San Siro: the Milanese stadium, the largest facility in the entire history of the Winter Games, will already host the inauguration of the Olympics on Friday 6 February. We must also take into account the needs of Milan and Inter. If he skips the Arena where do he go?
Figc, will Giancarlo Abete be the vice president?
Tuesday 31 January FIGC federal council: among the topics on the agenda, the approval of the 2023 budget and the election of a vice president. As known, the vicar of Gravina is Umberto Calcagno, leader of the players’ union. But Francesco Ghirelli needs to be replaced, who resigned from the presidency of Lega Pro in December (his heir will be chosen on 9 February). In his place as deputy in the FIGC, Giancarlo Abete, born in the 1950s, president of the Amateur League and very loyal to Gravina should be elected. The Amateurs count for 34 percent, the Calciatori for 20: anyone who wants to challenge Gravina, in two years, will have to take this into consideration.
Skateboarding, World Championships in the Emirates: a step towards Paris 2024
The Emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates is preparing to host the 2022 Skateboarding Street & Park World Championships from 29 January to 12 February, also valid as the second Olympic qualifying stage towards Paris 2024. The 2023 international skateboarding season is off to a great start who, after the debut of the World Street Skateboarding Rome 2022 at Colle Oppio, recovers last year’s World Championships skipped last minute in Brazil. Team Italy in the Arabian peninsula will not aim for the medal area, unless sporting miracles, but it will certainly try to win precious points for the French Olympics. Seven Azzurri have been called up: the respective technical commissioners Daniele Galli and Mattia Restante have called the following athletes to challenge each other in the brand new Aljada Skate Park in Muwailih Commercial – Sharjah: Alessandro Mazzara (Fiamme Gialle Skateboarding Group), Alessandro Sorgente (AS Dilettantistica Skateboard Society ), Ivan Federico (AS Dilettantistica Skateboard Society) and Lucrezia Zarattini (Amateur Sports Association Reboot) for the Park, and Asia Lanzi (Fiamme Gialle Skateboarding Group), Agustin Lautaro Aquila (Aquila Black Yeti SSD A R. Limited) and Giuseppe Cola ( Go Fast Skateboarding) for the Street. With regard to the possible Azzurri results, in Street the passage to the quarterfinals of Asia Lanzi, already present in Tokyo 2020, and Agustin Lautaro Aquila, who showed off in Rome last summer, would already be a satisfying goal, while they are greater chances for the Park quartet with all the athletes in the first thirty places of the world ranking (Alex Sorgente 11th, Ivan Federico 16th, Alessandro Mazzara 20th and Lucrezia Zarattini 30th).
More than 300 professional skateboarders from all over the world are expected to participate and, unless surprises are always possible, they will be names of the caliber of the Australian Keegan Palmer, the Brazilians Pedro Barros and Rayssa Leal, the Americans Cory Juneau, Heimana Reynolds and Nyjah Houston, the Japanese Sakura Yosuzumi and Funa Nakayama or the British Sky Brown to give a guaranteed show and compete for the world title, as well as for the 500,000 dollar prize pool up for grabs. “After the World Cup in Qatar – comments Sabatino Aracu, president of the Italian and world federations – it’s up to those of skateboarding to land in the United Arab Emirates, testifying to the growing and transversal international interest in this new Olympic discipline. Team Italy is keeping pace with the main countries of the world and in Sharjah it will try to be competitive not only with the big names, but also with the most interesting young players of our promising nursery.