POSTED: February 8th 2012

NewsUpdate

60 athletes appeal Premier Monti to give government backing for Rome 2020 Olympic bid

LAURA WALDEN / Sports Features Communications

TAMPA/ROME: Sixty of Italy’s elite athletes are appealing Premier Mario Monti to give the government’s support behind the Rome 2020 Olympic bid for the summer Games. The Italian economic crisis has been the main obstacle to gaining full support.

The group includes some of the top names in Italian sport and they have all have signed a petition addressed to the prime minister “Dear Monti, give government support to Rome 2020”. The letter was published today in eight Italian daily papers in an effort to jump start the government commitment. 

Top athletes such as Yuri Chechi, Francesco Totti, Valentino Rossi, Josefa Idem, Valentina Vezzali, Federica Pellegrini, Gianluigi Buffon, Antonio Rossi, Deborah Compagnoni, Igor Cassina, Alex Zanardi and Fiona May are on the roster to name a few.

Monti has declared that he will make an announcement on the 14th of February just 24 hours prior to the deadline to consign the application to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) putting pressure on the bid team as they have to prepare the documents regardless of the outcome.

Italy was one of the first cities to officially declare interest to bid for 2020 and the government has been aware of this for about two years. 

All the other bid candidates Baku, Doha, Istanbul, Madrid, and Tokyo have passed the test with their governments and are just preparing to consign their documents next Wednesday February 15th. Spain is facing the same economic challenge as Italy however the Spanish government has seized the moment and is backing Madrid for the exact same reason. A win could mean economic boon.

Preparing the applicant file is exhaustive and includes 11 chapters based on vision, concept and legacy, sports and venues, weather and environment, accommodation, transport, medical services and anti-doping controls, safety, technology and energy, legal aspects and customs, popular and governmental support, and finances and marketing.

The page of advertising and was commissioned by the Rome 2020 Foundation, headed by Aurelio Regina, and was carried out with the contribution of the Rome Chamber of Commerce under the leadership of Giancarlo Cremonesi.

Rome Mayor, Gianni Alemanno, said, “The initiative of the 60 athletes is just one more demonstration of the consensus that distinguishes this project.

“There is a strong knowledge that to host the Games would represent for all of Italy an unprecedented occasion to relaunch itself, and we must not let it slip away in this difficult moment of crisis.

“It is my hope that Premier Monti takes action according to what the Italians want,” he concluded.

Keywords · Rome 2020 · Mario Monti · Gianni Alemanno · Yuri Chechi · Francesco Totti · Valentino Rossi · Yuri Chechi · Josefa Idem · Valentina Vezzali · Federica Pellegrini e Gianluigi Buffon · Antonio Rossi · Deborah Compagnoni · Igor Cassina · Alex Zanardi · Fiona May

For more information contact:
Laura Walden ()

All original materials contained in this section are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Sports Features Communications, Inc the owner of that content. It is prohibited to alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.