Marco Giunio De Sanctis, president of the Italian Bowls Federation (Fib) in his second term, is one who knows how to look ahead. “We are creating something sensational, which few Federations have: a web TV dedicated to bowls. It will be visible to all for free thanks to the downloadable app on all smartphones. In the meantime, we have signed a three-month agreement with Canale Italia (national broadcasting broadcaster positioned exactly on channel 83 of digital terrestrial and on the Sky platform on channel 913, ed.). Every Saturday or Sunday it will be possible to attend the main event of bowls: Italian series championship, majors, the most important competitions of the season, etc. In this way we will launch our online platform, the bowls web TV, which will start from 1 July 2022, to allow all fans to also attend the Paralympic Boccia World Cup, in anticipation of Paris 2024, and to Raffa’s World Youth Championships scheduled at the Torrino Federal Technical Center “.
De Sanctis goes into details: “I am carrying out an important negotiation with an advertising agency to regulate sponsors and television rights. The Fib will no longer be a no-man’s land where everyone can do what he wants. Now there are also rules for the transmission of our sports images. Do you want to convey something? You must have the authorization from the Fib because the brand becomes ours. We have also thought about the video production that will help us in the project through the contribution of the most qualified company in the field. All this to give a real picture of the world of bowls. It is the icing on the cake in terms of image and communication ”.
2022 will thus be the season of rebirth, after difficult years for Covid: the Italian Federation will be involved all over the world with its champions. The president explains: “We have a very busy international calendar: from the World Championships with the Petanque triad (from 8 to 11 November in Cotonou) to the Mediterranean Games of Raffa, Volo and Petanque (from 22 to 29 June in Oran in Algeria) where we will go with a very competitive team, passing through the World Games of Flight and Petanque, from 7 to 17 July in Birmingham. And let’s not forget the international Boccia Paralympic event, scheduled from 6 to 14 September, preparatory for the Paralympic Games in Paris 2024. Also in September in Rome and the Raffa World Youth Championships, also in the capital at our Torrino center. . For the two major events we have set up a competent organizing committee and I will speak with Undersecretary Vezzali to request an appropriate financial contribution. The Paralympic Boccia event requires a complex organization as it will host about 80 athletes with very serious pathologies. I believe we deserve the utmost attention from the institutions, also because Rome has never hosted such an event, especially because the Olympics and Paralympics have failed twice ”.
Furthermore, 182 million euros are foreseen with the NRP plan for the restructuring of high-level plants.
“We are absolutely interested, also because the Torrino Federal Technical Center is in need of major redevelopment works. The problem is that I have not yet received the revocation of the concession. But before these 182 million, I am still waiting for an additional contribution from Sport and Health that can partially compensate for the 32% missed contribution. From the 80 million available, I expect financial support that is worthy of our meritorious goals. The project relates to the Cabs and to the Regional Technical Centers which, in addition to being fully accessible, aim to develop women’s, youth and Paralympic activity is ready ”.