ITALY: OLYMPIC GAMES - Interview with head of Turin's Olympic organising committee, Valentino Castellani, hails a successful Winter Games
Record ID:
331833
ITALY: OLYMPIC GAMES - Interview with head of Turin's Olympic organising committee, Valentino Castellani, hails a successful Winter Games
- Title: ITALY: OLYMPIC GAMES - Interview with head of Turin's Olympic organising committee, Valentino Castellani, hails a successful Winter Games
- Date: 26th February 2006
- Summary: TURIN, ITALY (FEBRUARY 25, 2006) (REUTERS) HEAD OF TURIN'S OLYMPIC ORGANISING COMMITTEE VALENTINO CASTELLANI WALKING IN CORRIDOR CASTELLANI SPEAKING TO REUTERS JOURNALIST (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF TURIN'S OLYMPIC ORGANISING COMMITTEE VALENTINO CASTELLANI SAYING: "You know, my feeling is that I am very satisfied and really very satisfied because we deliver a successful Games, we succeeded in giving a strong flavour of Italian style, both starting with the opening ceremony, going on in the different days with everything that was done, the people in the streets, 'white nights' as we called them, the atmosphere was really an atmosphere of passion, of participation and sports - the athletes and the sports were the centre of this stage." WIDE SHOT CASTELLANI AND JOURNALIST (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF TURIN'S OLYMPIC ORGANISING COMMITTEE VALENTINO CASTELLANI SAYING: "This is a positive messsage that is given to the sports world because the priority in fighting doping is an insurance for the future of sports. So I didn't feel the image of the Games was affected by this, on the opposite, you know, this was a good intervention naturally it is now important to see what is going on, the decisions to be taken, but that is the responsibilty of the IOC." WIDE SHOT CASTELLANI AND JOURNALIST (SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF TURIN'S OLYMPIC ORGANISING COMMITTEE VALENTINO CASTELLANI CASTELLANI SAYING: "You know, one of the regrets in fact that I have is that in general, the sports world in Italy, let me say in Europe, didn't give the complete stage to the Olympic Games in this period, because soccer, or football as you prefer, continued, we had all the national tournaments, the European tournaments, but in spite of that, the audience on the television at least in italy, but in Europe too, was very successful for the Games and in the future I would like, that when Olympic games take place in one country, one continent, the other sports that are not involved in that particular Games of the Olympics, might have a little bit of a rest, to leave the stage to this spectacular event." WIDE SHOT CASTELLANI AND JOURNALIST
- Embargoed: 13th March 2006 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Italy
- Country: Italy
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVA2AMFIJB4O9KAPPBP2IJV4V157
- Story Text: The head of Turin's Olympic organising committee, Valentino Castellani, hailed a successful Winter Games on Saturday, the eve of the closing ceremony.
Castellani told Reuters in an interview: "I'm very satisfied because we've delivered a successful Games. We've succeeded in giving a strong flavour of Italian style starting with the opening ceremony."
Turin overcame a highly unpromising build-up with sluggish ticket sales, transport woes, budget deficits, raids by tax police on TOROC (organising committee) offices and apparent indifference from the public and the nation's political leaders.
TOROC president Castellani admitted there had been some considerable obstacles to overcome. "The worst (moment) was just after the Games of Athens in the fall of 2004 ... because that was our turn (to be in the spotlight)," he said.
Castellani said the people of Turin had exceeded his expectations with their enthusiasm for the Games, shown by the thousands of revellers gathering in the Piazza Castello every evening for the medals ceremonies and entertainment shows.
He said the Games' slogan "Passion Lives Here" had been proved justified.
Castellani said the so-called doping saga and police raid on the private housing of Austrian team members which dominated the second week of the Games had failed to dent the image of the Turin Olympics.
"But I felt very positive. It demonstrated that the IOC really has a priority in fighting doping. I don't feel the image of the Games was affected."
IOC dope tests on 10 Austrian cross-country skiers and biathletes all proved negative though the team remain under police investigation after syringes and medical equipment were found.
The success of Italian athletes in sports such as speedskating where Enrico Fabris won two golds and a bronze to become a national idol.
But he conceded it would take a lot to challenge the domination of soccer in Italian sport.
"One of the regrets that I have is that ... the sports world in Italy and in Europe did not leave the stage to the Olympic games in this period," he said.
He urged soccer and other sports not involved to "take a little rest" in future during the Winter Olympics. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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