The president of Coni Fvg takes stock of the regional expedition: «The bronze of Navarria? I was in the car and it was a pain ”
The Olympics started just over a week ago and Friuli Venezia Giulia has already won two bronzes. Not a bad loot for a small region like ours, which, despite its size, continues to churn out a large number of talents, as we like to remember at every occasion, so great is the pride. The bronze of Mirko Zanni in weightlifting and Mara Navarria in the team sword are the flagship of a lively sports movement, of which the regional president of Coni, Giorgio Brandolin, is very proud. We asked him to take stock of half of the event and also a special good luck to the athletes who will be competing in the next few days. For good luck we do not make predictions, but many satisfactions could still come in this strange five-circle review in which anything can happen and surprises are always around the corner.
Two bronzes in seven days are not bad at all.
«It is an excellent result without a doubt, although I like to underline that the greatest result is that 17 athletes have obtained the qualification. It is a source of pride for our region, but also for the athletes themselves: to get to Japan it took many sacrifices and many skills ».
In this first week we had the athlete mothers in the competition, a future doctor: another result to be proud of.
«Of the Olympics we tend to remember only those who win the medal, but behind each athlete there is a particular story of sacrifice and dedication. It was particularly difficult to arrive at this review: it is a strange Olympics, in which the athletes are subjected to many checks and tampons and I think it is very tiring. It seems to me to be a particularly painful review ».
But do you follow the races?
«Unfortunately I can’t follow them all live, also because there are so many and because I have to reconcile them with work, but I cheer for everyone as much as I can, looking for the most comfortable way to stay updated. For example, I listened to the live commentary of Mara Navarria’s race while I was driving. Then I await the evening for a final report on the various means of communication ».
Useless to ask you for predictions, right?
“I’m terribly superstitious. Furthermore, this Olympics, precisely because it is particular, has put a lot of athletes to the test, so there could be some big surprises or big disappointments. All the more reason, in short, making predictions is forbidden. In any case, we look forward to the next athletes in the race ».
A special good luck we want to do it?
I would like to tell everyone that they are great and that they deserve to be there. Then, of course, it is useless to hide that in some cases there are expectations of a medal, but, however it goes, Coni is very proud of all the boys and girls in the competition. Indeed I hope that on their return we will be able to organize, together with the Region, an official moment to celebrate everyone. We hope to be able to do so again in the Regional Council ».