The Italian stage of the World Triathlon Championship Series was presented this morning and will take place on Saturday 25 May at Poetto in Cagliari .
In the Media Room set up at Antica Cagliari Poetto, on the seafront of the Sardinian capital, the regional councilor for Tourism, Crafts and Commerce Franco Cuccureddu , the president of the Italian Triathlon Federation Riccardo Giubilei , the vice-president and the general secretary of the World Triathlon Ian Howard and Antonio Arimany , the president of Coni Sardinia Bruno Perra.
To them was added the greeting from Rome from the president of Coni Giovanni Malagò : «Renewing the appointment with the World Triathlon Championship Series in Cagliari gives continuity to the important action undertaken by Fitri in recent years and represents a confirmation of the recognized credibility that has been able to conquer on an international level ", declared Malagò. Adding: «At stake there will be fundamental points for the Olympic ranking, a final call to be interpreted as a preview of the Paris Games . We are proud that the prestigious event is hosted in Sardinia, with the possibility of promoting, once again, the contents of this wonderful discipline, appreciable in its maximum expression. Congratulations to the Federation chaired by Riccardo Giubilei, sincere thanks to anyone who will contribute to the organization of the event and heartfelt encouragement to the athletes competing."
The WTCS Cagliari will get underway tomorrow at 11am, with the women's start (sixty-one athletes registered) live on RaiPlay and then continue at 3.15pm with the men's start (sixty-four at the start) on RaiSport. A decisive event towards the five-circle dream given that it will be the last useful race to collect points with a view to qualifying for the Paris 2024 Games, which includes individual trials and the mixed relay.
There will be eight Italians competing tomorrow and all of them are "possible Olympics": Gianluca Pozzatti, Michele Sarzilla, Nicola Azzano, Alessio Crociani, Alice Betto, Verena Steinhauser, Bianca Seregni and Ilaria Zane. The entire men's and women's podiums from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics were also present in the competition.
On the occasion of the press conference, the International Federation presented Fitri with an important award which certifies the zero impact of the race on an environmental level.
«With this WTCS event, Italy is putting itself forward as a protagonist of the world triathlon», explains Giubilei. «All eyes are on the crystal clear waters of Poetto where the Olympic qualification window will close with the best triathletes in the world who will compete in Cagliari for the third time in the most important race of recent years. All this is the result of serious team work and I thank those who focused on this project: Coni, which is the home of Italian sport, the Sardinia Region, represented by councilor Cuccureddu whom I thank and wish him a good job, the Fitri, represented by the general secretary Valerio Toniolo, head of the organizational machine of a federation that has carved out the role it deserved in the international sports panorama, and all those who are working on this event. The responsibility and satisfaction of being here with dozens of federal presidents from all over the world and the best international triathletes is great. Long live the most beautiful sport in the world."
«We are very happy and proud to host such a significant event which takes on even more significant importance precisely because it is the last opportunity to obtain points useful for Olympic qualification », relaunches Cuccureddu. «We want to consolidate the already historic relationship with the Italian Triathlon Federation and we hope to be able to host events of such high value in the future. We believe in the combination of Sardinia and sport at the highest levels, and we are convinced that it is a trend to continue, limited to the resources we have . We have an interest in continuing relations with CONI and all those sports federations that have so far organized international events here, thanks to which we have had feedback on our investment in terms of image and promotion of the territory and the Sardinia brand."
«We are very happy to be in this fantastic location for the last event before the Olympic Games, in the presence of the best representatives of world triathlon. We are grateful to the Italian Triathlon Federation for how it was able to bring together the resources of the Italian Government and the Sardinia Region", underlined Howard, "and thanks also go to the sponsors for supporting this event. We are excited at the idea of being able to return here again next year, as are our athletes."
«I thank Fitri for organizing a race which is now a point of reference in the panorama of world triathlon (the last competition useful for gaining qualification points for the 2024 Paris Olympics) as is the Sardinia Region which lends itself very well to host triathlon event . For us - Arimany explains - it is a great satisfaction to see that Italy has reached this level, with Arzachena and Cagliari hosting editions of the World Cup and World Triathlon Championship Series. I thank Fitri, the Sardinia Region and Coni Sardinia: we hope to return here in the coming years too".
«I would like to thank Fitri, in particular the president Giubilei and the general secretary Toniolo. For us it is an honor and a pride that our region can host an event of this importance, which from a competitive point of view is the most important of the season, because it is the last one to allow athletes to gain the score to qualify for the Olympics in Paris. I thank the International Federation, which believed in the Italy-Triathlon system to award an event of such importance and I thank the Sardinia Region", declared Perra, "and the councilor Cuccureddu, because Sardinia is sport but also tourism. These events help us grow our tourism system, thanks to the presence of athletes and media from all over the world, and it is also a way for us to make ourselves even more known."
