(ATR) Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) president Giovanni Malagò says the demise of Rome 2024 has hurt disabled sport the most.
CONI suspended bidding for the 2024 Games after support from the bid from the Rome city government was pulled. Mayor Virginia Raggi spoke out continuously about the bid, and eventually the city council voted 30-12 against bidding for the Games.
After losing city support, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and CONI attempted to work out a solution to keep the bid alive. No solution was brokered leading to Rome’s withdrawal.
Since then, Malagò says that he has not spoken with Mayor Raggi and that with no Olympic bid, funding for para-sport in Italy has dried up.
"The ‘No to Rome in 2024’ has affected especially the world of disabled people," Malagò said to Italian media. "[The decision] always spoken of mismanagement but never about the equivalent Paralympic event. The ‘No to Rome’ was a ‘No’ to the Paralympic world."
Rome exiting the 2024 race leaves Budapest, Paris, and Los Angeles vying for the flagship IOC event.
An Italian Olympic bid could come in the next cycle despite the hectic exit for Rome. President of the Lombardy, Roberto Maroni, says if Los Angeles wins the 2024 Olympics the region will bid for the 2028 Games.Milan last bid for the 2000 Summer Olympics, but Maroni believes a regional bid would be a stronger option.
Malagò said the Rome bid is a "closed case and we have noted [that] with dignity." Still, Malagò believes the surprise election of Donald Trump to the American presidency would have boosted Rome’s chances to host the Olympics.
"Did a Trump Presidency of the United States increase regrets for Rome?" Malagò said. "Certainly the possibility of this question after the news could not be diminished.
"The US has objectively different dynamics than ours. I do not think it can be a problem for the [bid] but it is something to calmly assess in the coming months. Surely it was a surprise."
Written by Aaron Bauer
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