Milan-Cortina: eye to eye with Meloni, Giorgetti says Bach

(ANSA) - ROME, FEB 6 - International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said he saw eye to eye with Premier Giorgia Meloni and Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti at a ceremony marking a year to go to the 2026 Winter Olympics at Cortina and Milan.
    "There is great feeling not only with Meloni, but also with Minister Giorgetti," said the IOC chief.
    "We have seen full determination from the Italian government, including Deputy Prime Minister (and Transport and Infrastructure Minister Matteo)Salvini, to make these Games a great success and make Italians proud".
    Asked about the possibility of Giovanni Malagò remaining president of the Italian Olympic Committee until the end of the 2026 winter games, Bach replied: "We are now talking about the organizing committee and we are very happy to have such a capable leader in Giovanni Malagò." He added: "We know that with (Milano Cortina CEO) Andrea Varnier he has done a great job together with the whole team and it will be like this until the last day of the Paralympic Games." Malagò himself said it would be "strange" to arrive at the games with a new CONI chief and said his continuing in the post "would be a common sense thing." He said "I will not say anything else on this topic. What Bach said is thought-provoking, 'I know that for over three years the Italian Olympic Committee and Malagò have been working hard to have a strong team of male and female athletes'. I am doing it with the two federations, winter sports and ice sports. You be the judge of the rest." The governors of Veneto and Lombardy, Luca Zaia and Attilio Fontana, expressed words of appreciation towards Malagò, who commented: "I think that Fontana and Zaia, who represent two very important Regions, are friends, there is certainly a component of common sense but also affection". (ANSA).