Melonן: "2024 will be an unforgettable year for Italian sport"

“It is a solemn moment to honor the achievements that characterized 2024, a unforgettable year for Italian sport. My first thought goes to the forty medals obtained at the Paris Olympic Games, where Italy was on the podium from the first to the last day and confirmed its place among the top ten nations in the medal table. The Italian expedition collected twelve gold, thirteen silver and fifteen bronze, but also many fourth places and other excellent placings achieved, all of them, with honour. This last element confirmed the solidity and human qualities of our Azzurri”. Giorgia Meloni underlines this in the message on the occasion of the Coni Golden Collars ceremony at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome.

“Absolute human and sporting values ​​- underlines the Prime Minister – have created the conditions for the extraordinary feat achieved by our Paralympic athletes, who have achieved seventy-one podiums with twenty-four golds, fifteen silvers and thirty-two bronzes, breaking every record and profoundly touching the our hearts.” Meloni then highlights that “in terms of results and placings, Paris was by far the most fruitful edition of the Games for the Italian flag: we surpassed the result of Tokyo 2020 and this made us particularly proud. They also deserve to be remembered and celebrated the many results obtained by our athletes in other competitions in many disciplines, among many others, of tennis: twenty-six titles won, a special achievement for the wonderful world championship triumphs, for the first time year, in the Davis Cup, the second in a row, and in the Billie Jane King Cup, thanks to two stellar teams of tennis players dressed in blue with the Italian shield on their chests. Historic successes, made even more exciting because they were obtained after the first victory by Jannik Sinner in the ATP Finals in Italy, in Turin”.

“But, returning to Paris – continues Meloni – I also remember with great joy the victories of Julio Velasco’s girls, which will remain indelible in the hearts of those who love volleyball, me first. The Azzurri thrilled us and made our hearts beat bringing the Tricolor to the top of the world. These victories are not just sporting successes, but moments that unite, which make us feel proudly Italian, rediscovering the identity and strength of our Nation. They are successes and great performances that testify the excellence and talent of Italian sport, made possible – concludes the Prime Minister – also thanks to the precious contribution of coaches, sports associations and clubs, Federations, sports disciplines, promotional bodies and many others, including families”.