CONI President, Giovanni Malagò, jointly with Secretary General, Roberto Fabbricini, today presented – at the Palazzo delle Federazioni in Via Piranesi, Milan - the Milan 2019 candidacy dossier, to host the 132nd session of the IOC, together with the Mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala and the President of the Regione Lombardia, Roberto Maroni (photo: Scaccini-GMT). The conference was attended also by the dossier Project Leader, Diana Bianchedi, the Councillor for Sports of the Regione Lombardia, Antonio Rossi, the Councillor for Sports of the Municipality of Milan, Roberta Guaineri, as well as federal Presidents Flavio Roda, FISI, Andrea Gios, FISG, Vicenzo Iaconianni, FIM, Luciano Serafica, FISW, the members of the National Board, Sergio Anesi and Massimo Achini, and the President of the CONI Regional Committee, Oreste Perri. The decision on the selected hosting city will be due in the course of the OIC Session of 17 September 2017 to be held in Perù.

Malagò proudly launched the challenge. “The idea of Milan 2019 stemmed from the intention to react, as sportsmen. It is a very important project, of great prestige for the whole city and for our nation. Sala and Maroni immediately responded in unison to the request to host this important event, to which all the stakeholders in the world of sport are present. Many of the members of the IOC are Heads of State, presidents of the federations, some of the most important entrepreneurs in the world. CONI is totally committed, together with the Municipality of Milan and the Regione Lombardia, because we must win. We still don’t know against who, because the deadline for presenting the candidacy is tonight. Some credible rumours suggest that when Milan was put forth, many backed out. We shall see, we presented a single dossier, we brought out the best silver of the house, the best of the system. Or rather, she brought out the best of the system, I’m referring to the person responsible for the Rome 2024 dossier, Diana Bianchedi. I wish to thank the Federal Presidents who have joined us here, the institutions of the territory, Prefect and the Commissioner and I would like to thank Francesco Ricci Bitti, a giant in the international sports movement. I am very optimistic because I find elections exciting. Our reputation is not just intact, but paradoxically it was strengthened by the outcome of the Rome Olympic candidacy. That is a wound that will never heal, it is a match that we unfortunately never played, but today we are happy to take part in this new challenge to prove who we are and what we want with different players, of whom am very proud”.

The Mayor of Milan took up the challenge and raised the bar. “We want to show that we are a friendly, welcoming host, where events are welcome and prove our organizational skills. We live in a Region that is the birthplace of many champions and has a strong vocation for sports. Milan and the Regione Lombardia represent a territory that wants to propose itself as the most suitable venue for hosting events of this kind. It is an opportunity to grasp, for the entire city, for the benefits it will guarantee. I’m not talking about the Olympic Games, but everyone knows how passionate I am about these big events”.

The president of the Region, Roberto Maroni, stressed the importance of the project. “It is a testimony of the importance that is attributed to sport and its social function. A few weeks ago, we approved a norm that acknowledges movement as a therapy. We have the ambition to prove to the world that Milan and the Regione Lombardia are a great opportunity for sport”.

Diana Bianchedi ended the series of interventions. “With the Municipality and the Region we formed a great team to prepare a winning candidacy. This project stems from the intention to show the international world of sports, and not only, what Milano, the Regione Lombardia and the whole country can do. The dossier starts from the assumption that we are able to prove our skills in organizing great events. It is not easy today, with the existing problems, to have the strength to say we’re confident we can make it with these structures is already a winning card. We focused on technological and cultural aspects – like the 500^th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci - and on the beauty of our Country. The tours we proposed within the Regione Lombardia are aspects that make this project a very strong candidate”.

Milan 2019 candidacy dossier