Italian sport in excellent health says Mattarella

(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 23 - Italy's sport is in excellent health, proof of the high quality of national teams, Italian President Sergio Mattarella said Monday during a ceremony with Italian Olympian and Paralympian athletes who took part in the Summer Games in Paris.
    The president added that Italy did "even better" than at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and "it was difficult".
    Mattarella went on to thank high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi, who won a gold medal in Tokyo and participated in the Paris games despite a renal colic, and Ambra Sabatini, a Paralympic Tokyo champion who missed out on the podium after a fall, saying they had conquered medals with "their generous participation and everybody's affection".
    The president on Monday hosted a ceremony to congratulate the athletes who won a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics as well as those who missed out on a podium spot and ranked fourth.
    Mattarella stressed that their presence "alongside those who experienced the emotion of a medal" was important not only because they represented all the athletes who participated in the Games" but also as representatives of "the great solidity of our sports movement" because medals are not only conquered by "single, isolated champions".
    After complimenting the athletes, Mattarella, who was handed back the Italian flag, said: "And now, Milano-Cortina!", where the 2026 Winter Games will be held. (ANSA).