This morning, in the Salone d'Onore at CONI's headquarters, the customary yearly award ceremony for the CONI-USSI Literary, Sport and Journalistic Competitions took place.  Giovanni Malagò, President of CONI, acted as host, attending the event together with the Presidents of the examining Juries, Walter Pedullà, for the 49th Literary Competition, Gianni Letta, for the 44th Sport short story, and Luigi Ferrajolo from USSI, together with Ivana Tosatti, wife of the unforgotten Giorgio, to which the special Prize "One pen for sport" is dedicated.

The ceremony was opened by the moving commemoration of the journalists who died in 2015 and was introduced by President Malagò's opening talk. "At the beginning of my Presidency, in that moment of discontinuity with the past, I asked myself if this ceremony was necessary.  In 2013, I felt it would be inelegant not to follow the previous tradition, but then I start believing in it and now I am proud to renew this tradition. Lately I have been travelling a lot and I perceive very clearly that CONI, also for these initiatives, is considered one of a kind, a model, even with all its problems. Today we have a new governance philosophy, great enthusiasm and clear ideas: Rome 2024 is a life-time chance, for the whole country: I would like to highlight this also in this occasion".

Walter Pedullà then spoke and got to the heart of the occasion, highlighting the reasons that led to awarding the prizes of the Literary Competition. "The committee that I am honoured to chair is composed of esteemed figures and I thank them all for their expertise". I cannot comment on the Technical section, won by the work of Carlo Vittori, as I do not have the competence to make a judgement: I relied on the judgement of my colleagues. Giuseppe Culicchia won the Fiction section, with "Ma in seguito a rudi scontri" ("But following rough clashes"), thanks to an unpredictable and incisive style, full of audacity and imagination.  The second prize went to Angelo Carotenuto, for a pleasant and balanced novel, from a literary perspective, which stands out because of the vivid imagination of the author. A special mention to Franco Esposito, who gifted us with an original piece of work. The first place in the Essay section is shared equally by Gaia Piccardi and Italo Cucci. The latter has written an autobiography that introduces us to a carousel of characters encountered during his life path. It is a book to be read all in one go, with plot twists and humour, an entertaining walk through his life. Gaia Piccardi, instead, recounted her "Tour de France", demonstrating great plasticity in crafting words together, with an eye-catching prose, never commonplace. A special mention goes to Enrico Querci, author of a tale with a happy ending. A special mention also to Marco Pastonesi and his book about Alfredo Martini, for his ability to represent vividly the ascent of a man of humble origins who was able to conquer the cycling world".

Gianni Letta took over to present the works that won the Sport Short Story award, giving a special introduction. "I wish to thank President Malagò for his words addressed at me. We will be close to him in this challenge called Rome 2024: Malagò will provide the added value needed to gather the IOC votes, with his typical charm, pleasantness and credibility.  I thank Novella Calligarisi for the earnestness, expertise and diligence with which she guided the Committee, the same passion with which she won the silver medal at the Olympic Games. This year we noticed a lower average quality compared to the previous year, and no under-18 short story deserved our consideration: for this reason, we changed the scope of the competition, opening it to new technologies. However, we singled out four texts amongst the works received, four gems, not only for their quality but because they captured the aims of the Prize, which has the intent of promoting competitive sport practice combining it with the values that represent its foundations. The wonderful work by Torromeo tells of the social engagement of a boxer, mortally killed in an ambush, who goes through his entire career and remembers the punch that marked the end of his career: through this edifying tale we understand how without sacrifices and without effort one does not reach the finishing line: sport gives us a life lesson. The second prize was awarded to Susanna Scarperi, amateur writer, thanks to a beautiful and original short story, which could become the anti-doping manifesto. The two special mentions go to Lorenzo Teodoro and Christian Poli, and are well deserved for their originality and imagination: they skilfully narrate dreams and metaphors".

Luigi Ferrajolo, President of USSi, wanted to celebrate the winner without forgetting to mention the difficulties faced by this category. "Each year I am forced to renew my concern for a sector facing serious difficulties, I am sorry to voice this cry of alarm in a day of celebration. Television is forcefully taking away our role, for this reason it is good that this Prize survives, because we also have our pearls, behind an army in great difficulty". Great excitement also for the prize "A pen for sport", won by Gianni Romeo, who wanted to dedicate his testimony to the masters Antonio Ghirelli and Giorgio Tosatti, to whom the award is dedicated.