Turin, June 19 (LaPresse) – “I never asked for a fourth term, only for an extension. How would you feel if, after twelve years and with the Olympics approaching, you were told that not even a six-month extension is possible, while the head of the Paralympic Committee—who has been in office for twice as long—can still run for the CONI presidency?” said Giovanni Malagò, president of CONI, in an interview with Corriere della Sera ahead of the June 26 elections, in which he cannot stand as a candidate.
“After working for seven years closely with my colleagues from national Olympic committees, an extension would have ensured continuity and allowed them to continue interacting with the same person. If the veto had been imposed from the beginning, I’d have had nothing to say, but it was introduced after six years. I’m fatalistic and calm. I thought the extension was the right solution, but it didn’t happen, and now I’m fully focused on the future,” he continued.
“Who worked against me? Definitely Paolo Barelli, MP and president of the Italian Swimming Federation, who now supports Pancalli.”
In the race to succeed him, Malagò is backing Luciano Buonfiglio, president of the Italian Canoe and Kayak Federation.
“The reasons for my support of Buonfiglio were made clear to the federation presidents once I realized I could no longer run. I really appreciated that Luciano’s candidacy was always conditional on my inability to run again. I found out about Pancalli’s candidacy from the newspapers,” he explained.
“Buonfiglio is a long-time federation president with both national and international experience—his candidacy is logical and consistent.”