A meeting full of meaning and interesting arguments about sporting dynamics on and off the field. In the Aula Magna of the “Giulio Onesti” Olympic Preparation Centre in Rome, “La Donna Atleta (the Female Athlete)” was held. The seminar, organised by the CONI Institute of Sports Medicine and Science, was aimed at technical directors, coaches, doctors and federal staff. There was a significant response from the various Federations represented here today, to which the IMSS will make available all the contributions of the experts who took part. Hosting duties were performed by Giampiero Pastore, Olympic sabre medallist at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 and Head of the CONI Institute of Medicine and Sport Science, who passed on greetings from the CONI Secretary General Carlo Mornati – who was busy in Milan with the Board of the Milano-Cortina 2026 Foundation – and introduced the event: "We strongly believe in initiatives like this one, it is a seminar that is outside of the box compared to previous ones. We are dealing with a topic that is very much on everyone's mind – so much so that Paris 2024 will be the first Summer Olympics with gender parity, and it is a growing trend at the Winter Games too.” Giuseppe Vercelli, Consultant at the CONI Institute of Sports Medicine and Science, then spoke: "Female athletes have much more measurable goals than a non-athlete. Compared to male athletes, they also place more emphasis on social cohesion, are more open to different leadership styles, have more frequent conversations on personal issues with coaches, and communicate based more on acceptance and self-disclosure. Communication is fundamental, but we must never forget that, done wrong, it can cause harm.” Physical trainer Andrea Cardone, another consultant at the Institute, addressed the issue of gender differences in the style of conducting training: "Talent is a multifaceted natural gift, but it must be nurtured over time. You have to train learning as well as performance. The goal is to make skills operational and practical in training and competition. I believe in a dynamic approach that takes into account that the expression of skill is only found in athletes’ intuition. The four pillars of learning, which are very important for the female gender, are focus, active involvement, returning to the error and consolidation. The performance characteristics that indicate learning are consistency, persistence, improvement and adaptability. The coach must give support but also leave some autonomy to the athlete. Men want to feel involved, women recognised and unique." This was followed by the speech of Valentina Turisini, silver medallist in shooting at Athens 2004 and member of the National Technical Commission, who said: "Women find it harder to be perceived as competent. I think it is important to work with individuals, regardless of their gender. A human being will never give you credit if they do not feel seen and considered by you. Mixed environments, especially when it comes to team sports, are the most balanced.” Enrico Maria Sbardella, shared his experience as Coordinator of the Federcalcio's Women's Youth National Teams: "We always try to adapt tactical situations by taking into account the characteristics of female players. Off the pitch, women are more interested in mistakes – they want more specific information. Key passes and balls won in the opponent's half of the field are the two main factors we analyse." This was followed by the intervention of Daniele Molmenti, London 2012 Olympian and current Technical Director of Canoe Slalomfor the Italian Canoe Kayak Federation: "Working on the differences means exploiting the strengths of women athletes compared to men. We need to focus on natural characteristics, for example elegance in canoeing. Rhythm and applied energy lead women to perform as required in our discipline," he says. "The level and international scale of a competition affect the management aspect of the group," explained Marco Mencarelli, Technical Director of the Federvolley's National Women's Youth Teams and Club Italia projects. Women's volleyball has changed a lot in how competition opportunities arise and in the classifying of those opportunities. Today we have an significant number of female athletes of each generation. I notice gender differences in the immediate handling of defeat: this is something else that is important to work on". The Technical Director of the Italian Rowing Federation, Franco Cattaneo, recounted the major developments in his national team: "About ten years ago, women's rowing changed. We placed an entire team of staff at the disposal of women. It was a very large cultural change. From a methodological point of view, we changed the women's approach to physical training and weightlifting. Today, even in the gym, women train with the same intensity as men, but clearly with different programmes. This also improves their self-esteem; the whole environment benefits. In addition, we have worked to increase competition in the water between the female athletes in training, because to improve you have to “fight” every day, avoiding sparing yourself out of respect for more experienced athletes." In the afternoon, Alberto Di Mario, Consultant at the CONI Institute of Sports Medicine and Science, introduced the topic of training female athletes, and then left time for reflections from professionals who addressed the topic from different perspectives. First up was Antonio Gianfelici, Sports Physician and Consultant at the CONI Institute of Sports Medicine and Science: "If there is such a thing as gender medicine, I don't see why we can't talk about gender training today. Different sensitive phases in the growth of a woman compared to that of a man have always been identified. Moreover, one cannot overlook the impact – including from an emotional perspective – of the menstrual cycle. In any case, it is necessary to think about athlete-centric training, because every human being is different, regardless of gender." Then came Paolo Sangalli, Technical Director of the Federciclismo women's national road team, who analysed the fact that “in cycling there is gender parity in many aspects” and took stock of the Azzurri's qualification path to Paris 2024. The speech by Antonio La Torre, Technical Director of the Italian Athletics Federation, was particularly engaging: "We know very little about women. I hope that in the next four-year Olympic period training courses will be organised solely for women, otherwise it will always be only men who talk about women. There is a language problem that we always overlook. In Italy we have a lot to explore in the female arena, when you consider that great powers like the United States have been investing in this area for years. The world of sport is trying to make progress, sometimes going against the tradition of countries where women are actually forbidden to play sports. There are studies that show that science knows little or nothing about women. Women are adaptable, for example, in terms of their body fibres: why can a female swimmer be competitive in both the 100 and 800 metres, while male swimmers cannot? In the area of training methodology, we really need to study the female world a great deal." The seminar was rounded off by contributions from Professor Andrea Ferretti, Health Director of the CONI Institute of Sports Medicine and Science, and Dr. Maria Rosaria Squeo, Health Director of the Olympic Area of the Institute. "Men and women are different athletes for anatomical, biomechanical, neuromuscular, cartilage, bone density – and sometimes surgical or menstrual cycle and hormone-related – reasons,” explained Ferretti. “Doctors, as well as coaches, must have deep knowledge of scientific concepts. But when we have to solve a problem we need to come up with something different, that goes beyond gender. I don't know whether medicine is a science or an art. For me, it is an art based on strict scientific knowledge. I believe that the coach is also an artist: when they manage to bring out the best in an athlete, they create a work of art.” "Women are complex organisms, and in pregnancy this becomes even more the case, as they undergo more sudden changes," Squeo pointed out. "In this period, physical activity can only do good and reduce the risks to which pregnant women may be exposed, if the nutritional approach is also correct. Our Athletes in Maternity Project stems precisely from the absence of guidelines for high-level athletes”.