Mattarella delivers the flag to the athletes of Milan Cortina: "Of course you will honor Italy…

“I am sure that you, all athletes, will honor Italy with your results. Sofia Goggia was a good premise at yesterday’s Super-G in Val d’Isere. I am one of the many fans but I will follow you carefully”. The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, said this during the flag delivery ceremony to the athletes of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

“We are delighted to see Federica Brignone – added the Head of State – ready and determined again. When we spoke on the phone months ago we were counting on this, and it is a pleasure to see her in these conditions”.

Mattarella delivers the flag to the Milan-Cortina athletes

The President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, received the Italian athletes departing for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games this morning at the Quirinale. The representation, also made up of technicians and managers, was led by the President of the Italian National Olympic Committee, Luciano Buonfiglio and by the President of the Italian Paralympic Committee, Marco Giunio De Sanctis.

During the ceremony – we read in the press release released at the end by the Quirinale press office – opened by the national anthem performed by a string quartet from the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, President Buonfiglio, President De Sanctis and the Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi, spoke. President Mattarella then gave a speech, after having handed over the Italian Flag to the Standard Bearers of the Olympic team, Arianna Fontana, Federico Pellegrino, Amos Mosaner and Federica Brignone, and to the Standard Bearers of the Paralympic team, Renè De Silvestro and Chiara Mazzel. The meeting ended with the playing of the Olympic Games Hymn