“SPORT IS A FORM OF CULTURE”
“The Olympic Games are the world’s most important multisport showcase. Being present is immensely important. It gives professional sports greater visibility and universality, while less commercially developed sports gain automatic access to public funding, and then revenue allocated by the IOC from the Games’ TV rights.” So says Francesco Ricci Bitti, president of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), which represents all 28 federations of the Summer Olympics programme, making him a key figure in the world’s sport system. With his mild but firm voice, Ricci Bitti is also honorary president of the International Tennis Federation, and was a leading force behind the return of tennis to the Olympics at Seoul in 1988. But to L’Uomo Vogue he explains: “In those days the application process was far more laborious.”
It seems there’s no official process nowadays.
It’s true. Tokyo 2020 will include disciplines that aren’t in the Olympic Charter of 28 officially recognised Olympic sports. They’re being included at the request of the host country’s organising committee with formal approval by the IOC. Paris 2024, for example, has confirmed the request for three of the five additional sports on the Tokyo programme (skateboarding, climbing and surfing) and has also added breakdancing.
What are the effects of a new entry on the non-sporting world?
They’re multiple. Obviously, the greater media visibility and coverage has a significant impact on the spread of the sport itself. And this affects lifestyles and the sport’s universality, not to mention sponsorships.
What does the Olympic spirit mean to you? Some say it’s being lost.
I don’t see it that way. I’ll just mention five factors: economic impact, politics, education, society and health. Unless sport has values, it remains pure entertainment. It’s universally recognised as a means and language to achieve a better world thanks to its Olympic-inspired values of excellence, respect, love, friendship and fair play. Through its educational function, sport is also a form of culture that’s increasingly essential in cultivating better citizens. Not surprisingly, the latest UN resolution on sport calls on all governments to include sporting activities in their recovery plans. This will be one way to stem the dramatic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the whole sports movement.
How do you relate to fashion?
I can best explain with a story. During the presentation of the Emporio Armani collection designed for the Italian Olympic Team, I commented positively on the style, but I imprudently mentioned that I wasn’t so keen on the idea of printing the words of the Italian national anthem inside the jackets – it seemed too overtly patriotic to me. My remarks didn’t go down well with either my CONI colleagues or the guests.