An 85-year-old former IOC member could be the key candidate in contentious vote for CONI presidency
Franco Carraro is seen as a peacemaker between leading candidates Luciano Buonfiglio and Luca Pancalli in Thursday's vote.
Outgoing CONI president Giovanni Malagò supports Buonfiglio, the president of the Italian Canoe and Kayak Federation, while Sports Minister Andrea Abodi supports Pancalli, the president of the Italian Paralaympics Committee.
With both Buonfiglio and Pancalli maintaining that they have the necessary 41 votes to be elected with an outright majority in the first round, the election could come down to more rounds of voting when Carraro might swing his supporters one way or another.
Carraro was nominated as a neutral option but needed special approval since he already served three terms as CONI president from 1978-1987. The electoral commission admitted him, though, apparently because he served before new rules were instituted limiting presidents to a maximum of three terms.
Carraro was an International Olympic Committee member from 1982 to 2019, when his membership expired due to age limits. In 2020 he became an honorary member.
Carraro's career spans 7 decades
Known as the 'Presidentissimo,' Carraro has also led the Italian soccer federation on multiple occasions, was Rome's mayor and served as an Italian senator, among many other duties in a sports administration career spanning seven decades — since he became president of the Italian Waterski Federation in 1962.
'Time passes for everything,' Abodi said when Carraro was nominated.
Still, the race is expected to come down to the 74-year-old Buonfiglio, who was a canoe athlete at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and has led Italy's canoe and kayak federation since 2005; and the 61-year-old Pancalli, who has led Italy's Paralaympics committee for a quarter century.
Paolo Barelli and Angelo Binaghi, the influential presidents of the Italian swimming and tennis federations, respectively, and longtime enemies of Malagò, both support Pancalli.
Malagò remains Milan-Cortina president
Malagò, who is leaving the presidency after 12 years and three terms, unsuccessfully lobbied for a special extension to remain in charge through the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February and Paralympics in March.
Malagò is also the president of the Milan-Cortina organizing committee and is expected to remain in that position. He's also an IOC member.
No women among 8 candidates
There are 80 potential voters, so 41 votes are needed to win in the first round.
In the second and third rounds, a majority of votes among those present at the election are required, while from the fourth round, whoever gets the most votes wins.
Besides Carraro, Buonfiglio and Pancalli, there are five other candidates who are not expected to garner much support. None of the candidates are women.
Soccer and sailing events
CONI oversees all sports in Italy, which has a series of major events coming up:
The America's Cup sailing competition will be held of
Naples in 2027
, the next Winter Youth Olympics will be held in northern Italy in 2028, and soccer's European Championship will be co-hosted by
Italy and Turkey in 2032
.
___
AP Olympics:
https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Hong Kong's CK Hutchison seeks Chinese investor to join Panama Ports deal
HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong conglomerate that's selling ports at the Panama Canal said Monday it may seek a Chinese investor to join a consortium of buyers, a move that could please Beijing but bring more U.S. scrutiny to the geopolitically fraught deal. CK Hutchison Holdings' initial plan to sell port assets in dozens of countries to a group that includes U.S. investment firm BlackRock Inc. pleased President Donald Trump, who has alleged that China interferes with the critical shipping lane's operations in Panama. However, they apparently angered Beijing and drew a review from Chinese anti-monopoly authorities. A Hutchison subsidiary has operated ports at both ends of the Panama Canal since 1997. After months of uncertainty brought by tensions between Washington and Beijing, Hutchison said in a statement that the exclusive negotiations period with the consortium has expired. However, it added 'the Group remains in discussions with members of the consortium with a view to inviting major strategic investor from the PRC to join as a significant member of the consortium,' referring to the People's Republic of China. It said they needed to change the membership of the consortium and the structure of the transaction for the deal to be able to pass reviews by 'all relevant authorities." The awkward position Hutchison found itself in for months highlights the challenges Hong Kong business elites face in navigating Beijing's expectations of national loyalty, especially when relations between China and the United States are strained. Hong Kong has overhauled its electoral system to ensure the city is run by 'patriots.' CK Hutchison is owned by the family of Hong Kong's richest man, Li Ka-shing. It announced March 4 that it would sell all its shares in Hutchison Port Holdings and in Hutchison Port Group Holdings to the consortium that also includes BlackRock subsidiary Global Infrastructure Partners and Terminal Investment Limited, a subsidiary of the Mediterranean Shipping Company. In May, Hutchinson co-managing director, Dominic Lai told shareholders that Terminal Investment was the main investor. Its parent company is led by Italian shipping scion Diego Aponte, whose family reportedly has a longstanding relationship with Li's. The initial deal, valued at nearly $23 billion including $5 billion in debt, would have given the consortium control over 43 ports in 23 countries, including the ports of Balboa and Cristobal, located at either end of the canal. That agreement also required approval from Panama's government.
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Hong Kong's CK Hutchison seeks Chinese investor to join Panama Ports deal
HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong conglomerate that's selling ports at the Panama Canal said Monday it may seek a Chinese investor to join a consortium of buyers, a move that could please Beijing but bring more U.S. scrutiny to the geopolitically fraught deal. CK Hutchison Holdings' initial plan to sell its port assets to a group that includes U.S. investment firm BlackRock Inc. pleased President Donald Trump, who has alleged that China interferes with the critical shipping lane's operations in Panama. However, they apparently angered Beijing and drew a review from Chinese anti-monopoly authorities. A Beijing-backed newspaper posted scathing commentaries about the deal, with one describing it as a betrayal of all Chinese. Beijing's offices overseeing Hong Kong affairs have reposted some of these commentaries, widely seen as an indication of Chinese leaders' stance. A Hutchison subsidiary has operated ports at both ends of the Panama Canal since 1997. After months of uncertainty brought by tensions between Washington and Beijing, Hutchison said in a statement that the exclusive negotiations period with the consortium has expired. However, it added 'the Group remains in discussions with members of the consortium with a view to inviting major strategic investor from the PRC to join as a significant member of the consortium,' referring to the People's Republic of China. It said they needed to change the membership of the consortium and the structure of the transaction for the deal to be able to pass reviews by 'all relevant authorities.' The awkward position Hutchison found itself in for months highlights the challenges Hong Kong business elites face in navigating Beijing's expectations of national loyalty, especially when relations between China and the United States are strained. Hong Kong has overhauled its electoral system to ensure the city is run by 'patriots.' CK Hutchison is owned by the family of Hong Kong's richest man, Li Ka-shing. It announced March 4 that it would sell all its shares in Hutchison Port Holdings and in Hutchison Port Group Holdings to the consortium that also includes BlackRock subsidiary Global Infrastructure Partners and Terminal Investment Limited, a subsidiary of the Mediterranean Shipping Company. In May, Hutchinson co-managing director, Dominic Lai told shareholders that Terminal Investment was the main investor. Its parent company is led by Italian shipping scion Diego Aponte, whose family reportedly has a longstanding relationship with Li's. The initial deal, valued at nearly $23 billion including $5 billion in debt, would have given the consortium control over 43 ports in 23 countries, including the ports of Balboa and Cristobal, located at either end of the canal. That agreement also required approval from Panama's government. The deadline for their exclusive negotiation period ended on July 27.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Will Claressa Shields Vs. Laila Ali Ever Happen?
For years now, there has been a competitive rivalry between two of women's boxing greats in Claressa Shields and Laila Ali. Ali is a 2021 inductee into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Her career boasts an undefeated record after 24 fights. Of those bouts, she has 21 knockouts. In Ali's day, she was nothing to snooze at. Hell, she was the furthest thing to snooze at. And up until recent years, no one would rival such greatness. What's in a name? When it comes to Shields, she has been making her way for years. With a professional record of 16-0, she's seeking to give her self-proclaimed nickname legitimacy as the 'Greatest Woman of All-Time' (G.W.O.A.T). For these two ladies, their relationship began as a mentor-mentee type deal. The two began as very complimentary of one another. However, a 2019 The Breakfast Club interview with Ali changed everything. She said, 'I don't think there's anyone there for me that would give me a good challenge.' Shields took exception to that notion, especially after her gold medal success in the most recent Olympics at the time. Since those comments, Shields has made it her point to not only win her fights but also become a box office attraction for women's boxing. She is as charming as she is strong in the ring. With that type of quality, she seeks to sell her fights in ways that women just haven't before. Most recently, Ali was asked once again whether or not she would take on Shields in a match. She responded, saying, 'Unless somebody has $15-$20 million, don't even call me about this.' A few days later, Shields seemingly called Ali's bluff, producing a video in which she presented a check for $15 million to pay Ali to sign on to fight her. The business of boxing Now, as a marketing ploy, I find this to be genius! The G.W.O.A.T is obviously promoting herself through this. But with athletes having the ego that they do, fans have to wonder, 'Will Ali take the bait?' At 47, Ali is 17 years Shields' senior. From an athletic standpoint, we're fine to assume that Ali won't be what she once was. However, there's always that possibility that for one night, she can be. That's the type of selling point you can have for such a generational fight such as this. If Shields can back up all of her smack talk, she will be known to be someone who was never writing checks her fists couldn't cash. As I enjoy saying, I see the vision. Do I think this fight will actually happen? I do. We've seen crazier things happen. So, if that $15 million is legit, you absolutely have to consider it from Ali's side. If this does go down, it's bound to be the biggest women's combat fight of all time. With that potential riding on it, I ask this: Why not?The post Will Claressa Shields Vs. Laila Ali Ever Happen? appeared first on Blavity.
