CONI President, Giovanni Malagò, became a Cavaliere di Gran Croce (Knight of the Grand Cross). The highest honour conferred by the Presidency of the Republic was awarded to the number one Italian sportsman by the Head of State - Sergio Mattarella - at Quirinal Palace, before the ceremony for the handing over of the tricolour flag to Sofia Goggia and Giacomo Bertagnolli in view of the Beijing 2022 Games. A similar accolade was awarded to the President of the Italian Paralympic Committee, Luca Pancalli. This was another example of President Mattarella's extraordinary closeness to Italian sport, at the end of an unforgettable year for the entire movement. Malagò emphasised his “great pride to have been awarded the highest honour of the Presidency of the Republic, an honour that I share with my beloved world. I am proud of sport and proud to be Italian”. (Photo of Quirinal Palace)