Savona welcomed the Ukrainian national team of synchronized swimming. The group of 19 people, including athletes, technicians and managers, who left Ostia by bus in the early hours of dawn yesterday arrived in front of the “Carlo Zanelli” Olympic swimming pool around 13.30. Waiting for the mayor of Savona, Marco Russo, with the tricolor band, the councilor for regional housing policies Marco Scajola, the councilor for sport Simona Ferro, the prefect Antonio Cananà, the councilor for sport Francesco Rossello. And then again, the regional councilors Alessandro Bozzano and Roberto Arboscello and the sole administrator of Arte, Alessandro Revello. The Italian Swimming Federation was represented by the regional president Silvio Todiere, while for the Rari Nantes Savona there were the president Maurizio Maricone and the sporting director Giuseppe Gervasio.
The first to welcome were the synchronette of the Rari Nantes Savona led by Linda Cerruti who offered the Ukrainian colleagues a yellow-blue floral composition, the colors of the Ukrainian flag. The Ukrainian athletes, fleeing the terrible war unleashed by Russia, managed to save themselves thanks to a great operation organized by the president of the FIN, the honorable Paolo Barelli who was the first president of a sports federation to move in this direction. . With a quick blitz, Barelli managed to get the 13 athletes accompanied by technical commissioner Svitlana Saidova, and some collaborators, to the Federal Center of Ostia. As soon as the news broke, Rari Nantes Savona immediately gave its willingness to host the training of the athletes in the “Zanelli” pool, where the Italian national team is already training, and immediately a solidarity competition was unleashed which involved in in the front row the Region, the Art Savona and the Italian Swimming Federation. The prefecture, police headquarters and the Municipality of Savona also made themselves available showing great sensitivity. The Ukrainians will be hosted in 5 free housing units, made available by Arte Savona. The mayor, Marco Russo brought greetings from the city: «The people of Savona welcome you with great solidarity and we are close to all the Ukrainian people. We are honored to welcome excellence. Sport is sharing effort but also joy ».