Rome 2024 Develops Bid Concept

(ATR) Around the Rings has learned that bid president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo has taken steps to ensure transport infrastructure is not a significant hurdle in its quest to land the Games.

Infrastructure and the Olympics was the theme of a meeting held Wednesday in the Lazio region involving Montezemolo, governor Nicola Zingaretti, transport mobility official Michele Civita, CEO of Alitalia Silvano Cassano, CEO of the Airports of Rome, Lorenzo Lo Presti, and CEO of Autostrade (highway) for Italy Giovanni Castellucci, which owns some infrastructure at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport.

"I am very satisfied with the meeting today," the Rome 2024 leader said.

"We talked about key issues even without the Olympics. I am very pleased with the climate and the collaboration. I thank president Zingaretti and assessor Civita.

"We really saw something a bit strange in our country… unity of purpose and absolutely total. Now it is time to work," he added.

The ex-Ferrari chief, who took the helm of Rome 2024 in February, said one of the focal points of the bid campaign was "to help improve the quality of life of citizens and the competitiveness of the region and the city of Rome".

"When it comes to transport it’s one of the most important things for the quality of life of the Romans and of those who come to Rome."

Describing the meeting as "positive and helpful", Montezemolo said it was important to address the problem of the connections between the airport of Fiumicino and Rome.

Montezemolo has transport expertise as chairman of Alitalia.

"Trains, highways, airports are a number of interests that unite… and major problems that we face together. Here there is truly a team effort, because the airport is a crucial connection. This is one of the key issues in the dossier of the Olympics," he said.

Rome 2024 is again moving forward with its bidding concept, after quitting the 2020 bidding race due to the country’s financial crisis.

"On the sports infrastructure we are in good shape," he said, without going into detail.

"A part of work to be done… there is a lot of training camps we're working to provide to more and more schools, especially those in the suburbs," he added.

While Montezemolo was involved in high-level meetings in Italy, other bid officials were making Rome 2024’s presence felt at the SportAccord Convention in Sochi. President of the Italian Olympic Committee, Giovanni Malagò, was joined by general coordinator Claudia Bugno and head of international relations, Simone Perillo. Both were appointed last month.

Rome, Boston and Hamburg are so far the only confirmed bids for the 2024 Games. But Paris will be formally announced in the summer. Others countries considering entering the race include Hungary, India and Qatar.

Reported by Mark Bisson

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