From the IOC Olympic order in gold to Mattarella and Meloni. Buonfiglio, "Italy with 30 cum laude"

The president of the International Olympic CommitteeKirsty Coventry, awarded the‘Olympic order in gold, the highest honor of Cioal President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarellaand to premier, Giorgia Meloni. The announcement was made by the president of CONI, Luciano Buonfiglio during the press conference at the end of the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Games. The Olympic Order in Gold is the highest honor awarded by the IOC to individuals who have rendered exceptional services to the Olympic Movement or contributed decisively to the development of sport. Established in 1975, it is usually awarded to leaders, organizers or prominent personalities.

Olympic Order in silver with three ministers

The Executive of the International Olympic Committee has awarded theOlympic Order in silver you have ministers Andrea Abodi (Sports and Youth), Matteo Salvini (Infrastructure and Transport, deputy prime minister) e Giancarlo Giorgetti (Economy and Finance), to the president of Simico, Fabio Massimo Saldini, to the mayors of Milan and Cortina, Giuseppe Sala and Gianluca Lorenzi, to the governors of Lombardy and Veneto, Attilio Fontana and Alberto Stefani, to the presidents of the Autonomous Provinces of Trento and Bolzano, Maurizio Fugatti and Arno Kompatscher, to the president of the Milano Cortina 2026 Foundation. Giovanni Malago’, to the managing director Andrea Varnier, and at the chief operation games of Milan Cortina Andrea Francisi.

Buonfiglio, Italy with 30 cum laude

“It’s aItaly with 30 cum laude“: this was declared by president of the ConiLuciano Buonfiglio, during the press conference at the end of the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Games with reference to the record of 30 medals won. “We experienced historical records,” Buonfiglio recalled, “Arianna Fontana won 14 Olympic medals, Francesca Lollobrigida won gold in the 3000m and 5000m, Federica Brignone it is a story that you have all told and that we have lived with emotion.”

“There was the first gold in biathlon with Lisa Vitozzithe first team medal in figure skating, the gold medals won in the space of half an hour in women’s and men’s luge, in freestyle and in cross with Simone De Romedis and Federico Tomasonibut also with Flora Tabanelli“, added Buonfiglio, “the first medal in the cross-country skiing team sprint with Barp and Pellegrinoa beautiful story, Roland Fischennaller at the seventh Olympics, record for Italy’s participation”.

The number one in Italian sport, in office since last June, then made a comparison with the results of Paris 2024 to observe how Italian sport is in the overall Olympic Top 4. “If we put together the results of Paris and the results of this Milan-Cortina Olympics, I can confirm that we are among the top four countries in the world”, underlined Buonfiglio, “these results do not arise by chance. I can say today with serenity that before the start of the Games, based on our projections, there was a high possibility of medaling in almost all disciplines”.

Government has never been so close to sport

“I believe that never before has the Government been so close to sport through Sport and Health as in recent years, directing it towards facilities and grassroots sport through the federations and therefore Coni to ensure that sports clubs begin that path which is then finalised” said the president of Coni, Luciano Buonfiglio.

The CONI number one then specified, “sport receives 32% of what it produces (tax revenue, ed.), a figure that increases from year to year and it is up to us, together with the Government, to try to help direct it to the best possible extent, everyone must play their role well”. Furthermore, president Buonfiglio added, “the number of members that has increased, as well as the results that are growing are the fruit of this policy: everything derives from the new harmony that is being generated in the sports system”. (