Italian Olympic chiefs warn govt of potential ban from Games

ROME: Italy’s Olympic Committee CONI sent out a warning on Monday that the country may be sanctioned by the IOC for not respecting the sporting body’s independence.

Two days before an IOC Executive Committee in Lausanne where the Italian situation will be on the agenda, CONI President Giovanni Malago, an IOC member, urged the Italian government to take urgent legislative measures to avoid a potential Olympic ban for the country.

“We can still find a solution by Wednesday, there is still time”, Malago said on Monday during a parliamentary hearing.

Global governing body IOC, which warned Rome in the summer of 2019 of the risks of government interference in the management of CONI, puts great emphasis on the independence of national Olympic committees, a key element of its Olympic Charter.

The origin of the dispute dates back to the end of 2018 when the agency managing the employees and resources, in particular financial, of CONI was put under the direct control of the national government.

It had previously been managed directly by the Italian Olympic Committee.

“In carrying out its business, CONI cannot depend on a government company,” Malago said on Monday.

Since the summer 2019 warning, the IOC has written several times to the Italian government about the issue and the IOC President Thomas Bach publicly expressed his concern at the end of September during World Road Cycling Championships in Imola.