International Olympic Committee (IOC)
President Thomas Bach said he saw eye to eye with Premier
Giorgia Meloni and Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti at a
ceremony marking a year to go to the 2026 Winter Olympics at
Cortina and Milan.
"There is great feeling not only with Meloni, but also with
Minister Giorgetti," said the IOC chief.
"We have seen full determination from the Italian government,
including Deputy Prime Minister (and Transport and
Infrastructure Minister Matteo)Salvini, to make these Games a
great success and make Italians proud".
Asked about the possibility of Giovanni Malagò remaining
president of the Italian Olympic Committee until the end of the
2026 winter games, Bach replied:
"We are now talking about the organizing committee and we are
very happy to have such a capable leader in Giovanni Malagò."
He added:
"We know that with (Milano Cortina CEO) Andrea Varnier he has
done a great job together with the whole team and it will be
like this until the last day of the Paralympic Games."
Malagò himself said it would be "strange" to arrive at the games
with a new CONI chief and said his continuing in the post "would
be a common sense thing."
He said "I will not say anything else on this topic. What Bach
said is thought-provoking, 'I know that for over three years the
Italian Olympic Committee and Malagò have been working hard to
have a strong team of male and female athletes'. I am doing it
with the two federations, winter sports and ice sports. You be
the judge of the rest."
The governors of Veneto and Lombardy, Luca Zaia and Attilio
Fontana, expressed words of appreciation towards Malagò, who
commented: "I think that Fontana and Zaia, who represent two
very important Regions, are friends, there is certainly a
component of common sense but also affection".
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