An unprecedented meeting, a well-deserved visit for the great successes achieved in 2023. This morning, the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, received the Italian athletics and modern pentathlon champions, protagonists of a year full of successes. Never before, as CONI President Giovanni Malagò emphasised, had the Italian Athletics Federation and the Italian Modern Pentathlon Federation been given their own reception at the Quirinale. The meeting was attended by the women and men from the track and field team captained by Gianmarco Tamberi and protagonist of the historic European Cup victory in Silesia 2023, the pentathlon world champion in Bath 2023 and winner of the 2023 World Cup final Elena Micheli, the world champion runner-up and European champion in Krakow 2023 Alice Sotero, the European champion Giorgio Malan and Alessandra Frezza, world team gold together with Micheli and Sotero. The Azzurri were accompanied to the Quirinale by President Malagò, CONI Secretary General Carlo Mornati, FIDAL President Stefano Mei, FIPM President Fabrizio Bittner and their respective Technical Directors, Antonio La Torre for athletics and Andrea Valentini for the modern pentathlon. The Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi, was also present. "It is indeed a great pleasure for me to welcome you to the Quirinale, together with the Minister for Sport," said President Mattarella. "I would like to thank President Malagò and Presidents Mei and Bittner very much for organising this meeting, which I was very keen to hold. I would like to express my congratulations and thanks for your achievements. These important successes do not end with the many medals and the great, prestigious victories. Alongside this extraordinary record, the fact that you have undoubtedly inspired so many young people to get involved in sport is significant. And this is a great achievement, for which we are even more thankful. Congratulations for these achievements, for these goals. Best wishes for the future. The next stages will be the Paris Olympics and the European Athletics Championships in Rome two months before that. I will be there, of course. I don't know how often, but I hope at least to attend the opening," concluded the Head of State. "Mr President, we thank you for once again opening the doors of the Quirinale to the athletes of Italian sport," began President Malagò. "Today's meeting is in some ways both unique and unprecedented. Before you are the delegations of two important and prestigious Federations that have brought prestige to our history but that, for various reasons, had never had the opportunity to be received alone by the Head of State. I am referring to athletics – commonly referred to as the Queen of the Olympics – and to the modern pentathlon, one of the oldest and most gruelling disciplines of the Olympic world. Mr. President, this is the Italy that wins, this is the Italy that sends positive messages, this is the Italy that honours our flag and makes Mameli’s anthem ring out throughout the world." After Malagò, the presidents of FIDAL and FIPM took the floor: "2023 is a year to remember for us, a historic year, I would say," Mei remarked. "The Olympic Games in Paris represent the most awaited moment of the next season, but for us the European Championships in Rome will also be a key event: our desire is to come back to the Quirinale in a year's time to celebrate new successes." "Mr President, it is with great pleasure that we find ourselves here before you, in a year that has been, to say the least, fabulous for our sport, and for which I express my heartfelt gratitude," said Bittner. "Out of the six international events that are important for our discipline, in the World Cup Final, the European Championships in Krakow and the World Championships in Bath, Italy, our athletes, and our Federation have achieved four victories." An important message came from Gianmarco Tamberi: "When we wear the blue shirt every athlete brings Italy with them. Representing our country is an immense honour but also a great pressure," stressed the captain of the Italian national athletics team. "Sometimes we receive heavy personal criticism, an aspect on which I would like to dwell: it is important to recognise that we are human, we are not immune from mistakes. We ask everyone to recognise our humanity. When we athletes are free from judgments on our performance, we are able to overcome our limits: that is why I would like to ask everyone, from the media to the fans, to look at us athletes as ambassadors of values, perseverance and dedication, and as human beings, who try everything to take Italy as far as possible." Finally, a special thank you to the President of the Republic also came from Elena Micheli: "It is an honour for me to be here, I hope to have honoured Italy by becoming world champion in Bath for the second year running. To make the national anthem ring out by carrying the tricolour onto the top step of the podium was emotional, to say the least. With Alice Sotero and Giorgio Malan we will represent Italy at the Olympic Games in Paris: for us this is an achievement, but at the same time an important goal, for which we will prepare ourselves in the best possible way," concluded Micheli. Tamberi and Micheli then gave the President a copy of the European Team Championship Trophy, a copy of the gold medal from the World Pentathlon Championships in Bath 2023 and autographed jerseys of both national teams.