Rome 2024 Bid Unanimously Approved by CONI

(ATR)Rome is officially a candidate for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

A unanimous vote of 64-0 by members of the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) at a general assembly meeting in Milan confirmed the bid.

Rome mayor Ignazio Marino and Rome 2024 bid committee president Luca di Montezemolo were present at the afternoon gathering held at the Milan Expo.

"Today in Milan, the national council of CONI has completed the first step towards the candidacy of Rome 2024," Montezemolo said in a statement issued by CONI.

"An important signal, coming from the world of sports, for an event that is primarily a great festival of sport and its athletes.

"I was very pleased for the support and encouragement that was given me today by all the presidents of sports federations," said the Rome 2024 leader.

The unanimous vote at the general assembly ratified a 15-0 vote, taken earlier by the executive board of the Italian NOC.

Italian NOC members Franco Carraro, Mario Pescante and Ottavio Cinquanta were present at the council meeting, all voting in favor of the Rome bid.

The confirmation of the Italian capital in the race for 2024 comes exactly one week after the Rome city council voted 38-6 in favor of the bid during a special session at the Campidoglio on June 25.

Rome mayor Marino has vowed that the 2024 Olympics would leave a "renewed, modern and sustainable identity for our city."

After last week’s city council vote, Montezemolo proclaimed, "Rome and Italy hosted the last Summer Olympics in 1960, a Games everyone remembers as the first Olympics of the modern era."

"Today, we start with the same spirit, convinced that an Olympics in Rome will be a great sports festival, but also a celebration of beauty, culture and technology."

Montezemolo, the former president of Ferrari, was appointed by CONI on February 10th to lead the bid as president of the Rome 2024 organizing committee.

CONI president Giovanni Malago said of Montezemolo at the time of the appointment: "I don’t think anyone is as popular as Luca is abroad."

Montezemolo, 67, established a strong reputation in the international sporting world, when he successfully led the organizing committee for the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy.

Regarding the approval of Rome 2024 on Thursday afternoon, Montezemolo said, "I find very important that this positive message came from Milan because the Rome 2024 Olympics will not only be the Olympics of the Capital, but of Italy."

Montezemolo hinted that the bid concept and venues for Rome 2024 could include other Italian cities.

"We are selecting other cities that may be involved in an event that will be an opportunity for growth and an important investment for the whole country," he said.

Malago, Montezemolo and Luca Pancalli, the president of Italy’s Paralympic committee and a bid vice-president travelled to Lausanne on February 11, to discuss the potential bid with IOC president Thomas Bach.

A previous bid by Rome for the 2020 Olympics was canceled in 2012 due to lack of government support, but Italian politicians and sport leaders have regenerated interest.

Rome joins Paris, Boston and Hamburg as candidates for 2024 with Budapest also likely to join. Fresh off the success of the inaugural European Games, Baku, Azerbaijan could also enter the race.

Candidate cities must submit their bid to the IOC by September 15.

Rome is seeking to join Paris, London, Tokyo and Los Angeles as a city to host two Summer Olympic Games.

The future host city will be chosen at the 130th IOC session in Lima, Peru in 2017.

Armani Unveils Stylish Attire for Italian Team in Rio

Italian fashion icon Giorgio Armani has unveiled the clothing that Italian Olympic team members will wear at the Rio 2016 Games.

The famed Italian outfitter, who also dressed Italian athletes in London 2012 and Sochi 2014, is supplying all formal and leisure wear for athletes on both the Italian Olympic and Paralympic teams next summer.

Armani has also created a special suit for athletes to wear at the opening ceremony.

The kit each athlete will receive includes tracksuits, multi-faceted waterproof jackets, short and long sleeve blue polo shirts, Bermuda shorts, cargo pants and shorts, and two styles of running shoes.

Attire worn by the Italian Olympic and Paralympic teams will be available for sale in Emporio Armani stores come March.

Written by Brian Pinelli

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