With victories in the European Cup, as well as the Under-20 European Championships and the EYOF (Under-18) Championships, Italian athletics has allowed federal president Stefano Mei to enjoy a few days of vacation in Villasimius. The lively competition among federal presidents sees them battling for the top spots.
Track and field, tennis, swimming, basketball, volleyball: which is the most successful Italian sport right now?
But they're different disciplines! None, perhaps not even soccer, is as popular as athletics, which is practiced all over the world, from remote islands to the vast continental continent. We're in a golden age, paradoxically better than Tokyo, even though the media impact there has been greater. But we had four days of Junior Athletics live on TV, and that's something that hadn't even occurred to us in my day, with all the great champions there; it's a sign of the interest in our sport. And then if someone from Mars comes and watches tennis, they understand it immediately; athletics is more difficult to grasp the technical movement. But let's be clear, like all Italians, I'm rooting for Sinner. I would have been curious to see what would have happened if Sinner and Tamberi had been at the same time. But it's a great sporting competition, but we're all united.
Athletes, coaches, managers: what is the strength of Italian athletics?
I believe in the unity of the movement. Some turned up their noses when we won the federal elections, thinking there wouldn't be pluralism. Instead, we're demonstrating that greater unity of purpose and less controversy creates the conditions for everything to be done calmly. Then there are those who want to stir up controversy at all costs... but if those in the know read the rulings, they'd understand how specious some of the comments are, even those from famous journalists. If they were to do their research, they'd understand that there are no crimes of opinion, and even though recourse to sports justice has increased, it should be remembered that never before in the last four years have there been so many attacks on the federation and its president. But when it's baseless Facebook chatter, when you're accused of poor ethics and a lack of transparency, there will always be a reaction. For example, a senior CONI official allowed himself to write gratuitous insults in a book, even targeting the CONI president, and it's clear that sports justice will intervene.
Let's go back to the current season...
Since this winter, we've seen amazing things, with the European Cup win and the rankings at the Under-18 European Championships (EYOF and Under-20), and good things from the Under-23s. The European Cup is underestimated, but the fragmentation of the Soviet Union has led to more opponents. The last stage, Tokyo, is still missing, the most important event of the season. We all have the 2021 days in our eyes. I won't venture any further predictions: I talked about eight potential medals and we've taken three, plus five fourth-place finishes and 17 finalists. Previous coaches criticized us, but they went home with zero medals. Sometimes I'm almost embarrassed to hear certain comments, that Paris was a disappointment. I'd understand if Nebiolo made them, but when the criticism comes from those who haven't won anything while spending proportionately as much as we do.
What are the balance sheets like?
"For all but one year, I've always been profitable, even though we've almost doubled operating costs by investing in coaches and clubs: 150 according to a merit ranking and another 400 with projects, something that's never happened before. We've managed resources with the best interests of athletics in mind and tried to bridge the gap between the periphery and the center. Clearly, problems remain. We've tried to give the combined events a certain dignity, appointing a sector manager and more resources, considering creating a separate championship to give them an exclusive platform. Unfortunately, we're short on resources; some things have gone wrong with the combined events, but the positives outweigh the positives. Change, too, takes time."
In Tampere, 6 gold, 3 silver, and 5 bronze medals in the Under 20 category: how important are they for the future?
Not all athletes will be stars in the future, but that was also the case in my day. Local clubs work well; perhaps the federation previously failed to identify and support these talents, and often there was a decline. We must be careful not to waste them, but I believe many of these medals have a future, even those who finished fourth or fifth.
From Tokyo to Tokyo: How's the renovation going after 4 years?
"It's proceeding as it should when there are dynamics of updating. It takes time, but what always remains is that we have a large pool of talent. Over the past four years, we've demonstrated that we're good at supporting their growth."
What if Tamberi and Jacobs don't make it?
We'd have two Olympic champions who won't be returning to the platform where they made history, especially in Jacobs' case. We knew that Gimbo had to recover from situations he'd been gritting his teeth for four years in recent months. He's been achieving results in a discipline that exposes him to great stress for 14 years, and every year he's achieved a significant result. He told me he'd try to recover. It could be that we'll get to the World Championships, and he'll decide what to do: we're not asking him anything. I spoke to him on the phone; Camila is his best medal and it will change his perspective on everything. Marcell, on the other hand, had a new injury. I asked him to come to Rome because we need to ensure everyone gets to Tokyo without any problems.
By the way, Sardinia continues to offer sprinters: Nappi, Frattaroli, and others…
We already knew Nappi from his gold medal at the Under-18 European Championships. When I saw him win the 200m in Tampere by three meters, I spoke to Di Mulo and suggested he call him up for the relay training camp. The same goes for Kelly Doualla, but she's younger, and I let her, her family, and her coach decide. They chose not to, but Nappi is older; he turned eighteen the day after the race, and he deserves to be there. Then there's Laura Frattaroli, and Dalia Kaddari, who's back to running strong: we follow the Sardinian athletes closely; I was talking about it recently with Granfranco Dotta and Aldo Medea. I understand what it's like to train on an island. I see Patta, and I understand that it's nice to train at home, but if you have a problem, it's a little more difficult to travel to Rome. Speaking of Lorenzo: what he did in Madrid, completing the game despite his injury to bring the point to the team, was a beautiful thing, not everyone would have done it."
We've rediscovered ourselves as fast middle-distance runners: that's your field, what does it depend on?
"The talent has always been there; perhaps the technical guidance led them to immediately increase the distance if they didn't see any improvement. But sometimes you have to persist. Let me give you an example: if Crippa doesn't win the 5,000m, it doesn't mean he'll close the gap in the marathon. The solution isn't always to move up to longer distances. Sometimes you might have to try again another year, but there's always time to increase the distance because you can always train for endurance, even at my age. But of course, I'm speaking as an enthusiast, not a technician. However, right now we have three competitive 8000m runners and three 1500m runners who are close to the best."
Stefano Baldini highlighted shortcomings in the Marathon: is there a problem?
"Yes, because it's also a matter of cycles. We're not like the United States or (for the marathon) Kenya, which have enormous pools. We live in cycles: in Tokyo 2021, we were strong in sprinting, now we're strong in jumping. We have to accept that this is how it goes and that certain disciplines have periods when they don't grow as much. And in any case, we have some names to put on a good World Championships, even if maybe not to win."
Will Italy be stronger in Los Angeles than in Paris?
"I think so. The protagonists will change, some will be older. Even in race walking, talent is arriving to replace Stano and Palmisano. The European Championships are a good sign. Let's see how we absorb the turnover. Medals are always difficult, but we'll try."
The Sardinian Committee has been under special administration since December 8th: what's happening?
I can't go into details because there are ongoing proceedings. I believe the date for the assembly will be set soon because the situations that led to the appointment of a special administration are about to be resolved. Unless someone is acting in bad faith, they can't think we were having fun appointing Sardinia a special administration. It's never nice to have a region under special administration. Sicily was previously under special administration for two and a half years, but sometimes attitudes vary depending on who's in charge. We had to make this decision reluctantly. There were breaches that are being examined by those who will decide, and I don't know if it's early November or when. The next administration must deliver a problem-free region. We need to start over as if it were a blank slate, and I thank Alessio Piscini, Alessandro Londi, Aldo Medea, and the current acting secretary, Gianluca Zuddas, for their commitment. It's clear that 40 years of the same government have brought certain procedures, but those who arrive later and have to take charge may have different methods and encounter difficulties.
