“EuroCross tradition and charm: it’s Piemonte22”
21 Novembre 2022After the J Medical Cross on Sunday 20 November, it was the FIDAL president Stefano Mei with the president of the Piemonte Region Alberto Cirio - who intervened to bring his greetings to those present, thus testifying the active participation of the territory - to officially launch on the SPAR European Cross Country Championships Piemonte 2022 La Mandria Park on 11 December in Venaria Reale (Turin), together with the regional council for sport Fabrizio Ricca and the president of the Organizing Committee Gianfranco Lucchi.
In this morning's press conference at the Piemonte Region building in the heart of Turin, the continental cross-country race was officially presented, now in its 28th edition, the fourth one in Italy after the Ferrara editions in 1998, San Giorgio su Legnano in 2006 and Chia in 2016. “The European Cross Country Championships will also be the last major event to be hosted by Italy before Rome 2024 – announces the president Stefano Mei -. An event that will have a big media impact due to the natural environment in which it is set, the La Mandria Park and its Castle with the crossing of the Carriage Gallery. A really challenging course, as many of our guys tested yesterday, as a real cross and not a racecourse. Turin and Piemonte are athletics’ home, an international event has not come back here for a long time, the last being the European Indoor Championships in 2009. We met with the Region, of which we are guests today, and there are the premises for reviving these glories and trying to bring other highly prestigious events here. Italy will play as host and I would very much appreciate the athletes of the national team from other specialties to attend, to support the teammates, thus conveying a sense of teamwork". The greeting of President Alberto Cirio testifies the closeness of the Piemonte Region to the world of athletics: “I fully support all the work done by councilor Ricca to bring major sporting events back to Piemonte. They are a unique opportunity, as has just occurred with tennis. This will certainly also be the case for the European Cross Country Championships, a sport with an ancient tradition and charm. We are happy to host them in a suggestive context like our Parco della Mandria. Investing in major events is not only an opportunity to enhance the many sport, cultural and tourist excellences of our area, but also the best way to promote sport practice at all levels, competitive and amateur, as a valuable tool for everyone's well-being.
Even more this year which sees Piemonte as the European Region of Sport”.
“Piemonte is proud to have set up a series of exceptional events for the area - says the regional councilor for sport Fabrizio Ricca -. After the ATP Finals that has just ended, we are ready for another important appointment like the European Cross Country Championships, for which we have worked so hard and in which we believe so much. Furthermore, we have the will to continue working with athletics, for example with a view to creating an indoor facility that can be a reference for the entire north-west area”.
There are only a few days left before the start of the continental event, and the organizational teams are fully at work. “The Organizing Committee that I have the honor of presiding over – declares the president Gianfranco Lucchi – is doing its best to ensure that everything is ready for the best. Yesterday's J Medical Cross, our test event also for what concerns the course, showed that we are now ready, we are working to be able to welcome the 41 nations that have announced their presence in the best possible way. The location is undoubtedly the strong point of the European Championship, La Mandria Park and the crossing of the castle which gives back an almost magical atmosphere to those who run and those who watch. And then the course, very technical, which will put all the participants to the test. I have great confidence that all the expectations we place on the event will be fully met.”
Among the authorities who attended, also the president of Parchi Reali Autority lawyer Luigi Chiappero, who intervened to present La Mandria Park and to illustrate the possible projects linked to sport activity that can be carried out inside it, such as for example a straight grass track, which would be unique in Italy. There were also the vice-president of the Organizing Committee of the European Championships and the president of FIDAL Piemonte Clelia Zola, the CEO Maurizio Damilano, 1980 Moscow Olympic champion, the federal councilor and deputy CEO Elisabetta Artuso. Among the local authorities, the councilor for sport of the Municipality of Venaria Reale Luigi Tinozzi was in the room, and the lieutenant colonel Rosario Gemma representing Gen. Antonio Di Stasio, commander of the Piemonte and Valle d'Aosta Legion.
"CROSS COUNTRY EUROPE" - The European Championships will be a cross country celebration.
To celebrate the historical significance of this event, the European champion of the 1500m in Helsinki 1971 Franco Arese, together with the journalists Fabio Monti, Franco Fava and Gianni Romeo, specially created a publication entitled "L'Europa del Cross" (Cross Country Europe).
A statistical book, dedicated to cross-country tout court: not only the European Championships but also the World Championships and two classic races on the international scene that take place in Italy, the Cinque Mulini and the Campaccio. The book will be given as a gift to all the athletes and heads of delegations who will compete at La Mandria Park, with the aim that young people do not forget history, from which we will always learn. And who won the Campaccio five times is Francesco Panetta, an unforgettable champion who was also there today in Turin: “It is nice that the European cross-country race is coming back to Italy and in particular to Piemonte which is a land of cross country by tradition. I agree with Franco (Arese), ours is a sport of numbers, but historical memory is fundamental; knowing what yesterday's champions did can help the young athletes to grow. Good luck to the italian team that will take part in the Championships in twenty days". Walter Durbano, a former italian marathon runner, one of the creators of the route for the European Championships and directly involved in the organization, also said: "In designing the course, we thought of an Anglo-Saxon-type cross country one, lively and with various ups and downs, trying to make the most of the setting that the La Mandria Park naturally makes available to us".
THE AZZURRI - Two athletes from the Italian national team were also attending, both from Piemonte and both finishing the J Medical Cross with excellent results: Anna Arnaudo (Battaglio Cus Torino) and Pietro Arese (Fiamme Gialle). Both agree on the difficulty of the course, which they had the opportunity to test yesterday: “It's a beautiful and fun course - comments Arnaudo, yesterday's success in the 8 km test - with climbs that could shuffle the deck. Playing at home will be wonderful especially for the support: we were already able to feel it yesterday, but I can't imagine what it will be like in a European Championship where everything will be more amplified". “The course is certainly demanding especially for fast middle-distance runners like me - underlines Pietro Arese, specialist in the 1500m, yesterday third in the 2 km race - but I feel very much a team man and being able to compete in the relay will certainly help me to bring out energy, even when I'm having hard times. And then being able to race a European Championship practically in my own backyard is unrepeatable for me.” In conclusion, the conditions for a great show are all there. And therefore, leaving the floor to Pietro Arese, we close with an invitation open to all: "On 11 December we are all waiting for you in Venaria!".
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